Maintenance for newly planted seedlings

[BuckyJr]

I’m sure this has been discussed, however, I want to survey folks to see what works for you and what you do.

I planted many conifer seedlings this spring into an old pasture. I mowed and sprayed gly last year, but the seed bank is waking up. I sprayed around individual trees this spring after planting using a bucket to cover the seedlings and a backpack sprayer to kill emerging weeds and grass around the perimeter of each individual seedling. This worked well, the circles are still identifiable but weeds are emerging again.

I think I will do this again, however every time I do it is an opportunity to kill or damage the seedlings on accident. Is there a proven pre emergent I should add to the gly to prevent re-emergence of the weeds that pop up next to the tree. Mowing isn’t an option and doesn’t really work in my opinion as the weeds are still alive and stealing moisture and nutrients.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[NE PA QDM]

I think clethodim kills some grass/weeds but is safe to get onto conifers (this is my recollection from 5 years ago so I'd make sure to verify its accuracy). It's not cheap though.

I used to spray around my norways for the first 1-3 years as you describe above. But I found that I killed a few in the process and that they grow just fine even when surrounded by grass. So my current spruce seedling policy is to plant them and let them do their thing.
My only active "management" of them is to knock back any surrounding tree seedlings that are not allowing full sunlight to reach the spruces but you probably don't have that issue in a pasture. I think others refer to this practice as "releasing."

 

[BuckyJr]

Thanks for the input. I planted 400 Norway spruce into this pasture/sod last year without doing anything for them, I’d say 20 lived maybe. This is why I took the approach of killing it all of last fall and now maintaining them.

 

[H20fwler]

I do same as NE PA QDM
The grass also helps hide them from deer that would beat the crap out of them in fall too. About all mine have been planted in pasture or CRP.

 

[TreeDaddy]

i seem to recall Paul Knox using a recipe of simvacine,pendomethilum, and clethodim over conifers

Check the old thread on planting trees on iowa whitetails to verify

A very enjoyable read as is everything he ever wrote about

bill

 

[Islandguy]

Can you mow between the rows to keep most of the grass at bay? Come September once the trees are dormant over spray with a litre/acre of Roundup, it want hurt the trees. Ive done this with Pines, Spruce and White cedar.

 

[MickT]

Imazapyr (arsenal and various trade names) was designed to be used post emergent over pines. Check the label to see if it will work for your species. It is a contact and soul active herbicide, and can mobilize in the soil. Don’t use it near a hardwood or fruit tree you don’t want to kill. Read the label.


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[sandbur]

If on droughty soils or cold climates where winter burn can occur if not enough snow cover, I like weeds on the south or SW side for shade.


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[TreeDaddy]

1 qt simazine
1 qt prowl
1 qt crop oil
8-12 ounces of clethodim

In a 3 gal BP sprayer or per every 5 gallons of water in an ATV sprayer

From Paul Knox thread on tree planting for weed control

to be sprayed around base of seedlings

Page 41 of thread


bill