Plot & Apple Trees

[PackerBacker]

Steve B put together a habitat plan for my 80 and working on getting ready to tackle the project. Next to a few of the food plots it calls for apple trees. Do I need to be concerned with overspray and gly killing the apple trees? If so, anything I can plant as a buffer between edge of plot and apple trees?

 

[j-bird]

If you planting annual plots I would suggest staying away from your trees to some extent anyway. As the tree grows you don't want to be damaging the supporting roots of the tree with constant plowing or tilling. I only have my apple trees in my perennial plots. As such I typically do not apply gly, but cleth to fight grass or only spot spray gly for specific weeds in my perennial plots. I also like to lower my boom sprayer as low as I can to ensure coverage and reduce the potential of drift regardless of where I am spraying.

 

[PackerBacker]

Yes, you will need to take care not to spray your apple trees. Anything you plant will also be impacted by gly, so a living buffer isn't likely to work. I'd plant a strip of perennial clover wide enough to insure your trees don't get hit. If you accidentally kill some of the clover with overspray/spray drift, its easy to re-seed it.

Good suggestion - I see Steve has a buffer of clover around the plots on his map too. Need to get a 2nd monitor so I'm not looking at my phone screen while trying to layout the priorities for this season so I can see the little details.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

A buffer of clover established will have some resistance to the drifting gly as well. Clover can take a pretty substantial hit of gly and only get set back a little. Like stu said you can also reseed/overseed the clover if it gets killed in some spots.

Depending on the size of the plots and your access to equipment annuals can still be used without disrupting the root structures of your trees by regular tillage. You can plant d@mn fine plots by mowing, spraying, and broadcasting.