Weed problem with new planting

[oldgustav]

Last January we planted about 15,000 whips into grassland on our little farm in west Wales. All the whips were planted with 60cm tubes and canes - and then we sprayed out about 30cm all round in April. Despite a cold start, our exposed site and a dry spring/summer, most of the new trees have done well in their first season. The only problem we have is that most of the trees are inundated with weeds/grasses that have grown up through the tubes. We have manually 'weeded' a few hundred - pulling the grassed out of the tubes and splaying out - but with just the two of us here we're never going to get around all of them. Should we be worried by this prolific weed growth inside the tubes (we can't be the only people to have had this problem) or can we just let nature take its course and leave the trees to it? We will be spraying again in the spring but the spray will not get to the tightly packed weed growth inside the tubes.

[born2trot]

Can the whole site possibly be ring fenced and the tree guards removed enabling mechanical spraying ? You may have to accept a few losses initially but beating up will be necessary anyway .

[Goaty]

You are doing the right thing splaying weed out I think. If they regrow next year the spray should get at least some of the weedkiller.

 

You could drop a tiny amount of expensive granular residual herbicide in the tube during the dormant season but I think its getting outlawed or hard to use/obtain.

 

This do's happen with tubes and sometimes the tubes sweat with vegetation which is quite yucky. Ants can also build skyscrapers in the warm of the tube. One hole in a fence or agile rabbits and hares over the top of a fence is bad news. Assuming this is why you bought the tubes.

 

I would stick with the tubes, as the trees are doing well, if its grass its not a long term problem, but nettles, docks or other strong perennial weeds will need dealing with, because in time as they get stronger the trees will be deprived.

 

In 5 years you will need to do little and think it was worth all the effort

[oldgustav]

Thanks for your reply. All the trees are fenced off from stock is that's what you mean. I'm not familiar with mechanical spraying or beating up. Please can you explain? If this perhaps what's done with industrial-scale softwood plantings?

[oldgustav]

Hi Goaty. Thanks for your reply. Yes, the sweating of the vegetation in the tube is apparent. Our worry is that this will rot the young trees. Some, mostly hornbeam have been swamped by the grasses in the tubes (but they may have been killed by the hard winter). It does seem to be mostly grasses and some buttercup, which tend to go powdery. Dropping a herbicide granule inside the tube sounds good. Can you point me towards some?

[born2trot]

' Beating up ' is just a planting term meaning going over the whole site and replacing dead trees that are normally in their infancy and you are correct in saying it is done by commercial enterprises.

 

you can buy ATV's now fitted with hydraulic or battery sprayers which would sound ideal for a smallholder like yourself. By the wording of your post it sounded if you were wanting to make life as easy for yourself as possible.

 

Not a bad idea in my opinion !

[arbmark]

i wouldnt worry too much. if the grass comes out the top of the tubes you can catch it with a bit of spray. The trees roots will still make it out past the competing grass. Clumping grasses are the worst but usuallly they appear out the top of the guards due to their vigour. I wouldnt agree about docks and nettles being the worst, their roots arent as dominating and water demanding as say cocksfoot grass.

Losses just mean less thinning later if you have planted pretty close. This spring will be telling if you need to beat up.

Dropping herbicide granules in the tubes, right next to or touching the tree? wouldnt be my solution i expect the grass would do a lot less harm to trees and soil.

[easy-lift guy]

Just curious were the "tubes" contaminated with weed seed in the first place?, and I am wondering about any long term effects regarding herbicide contact and possible translocation of said herbicide to root system of weeds and than trees over time?.

easy-lift guy

[RDB logs]

We use kerb granules, used in an oversize pepper pot, shake a few around and in the tubes around christmas.

they wont touch woody plants but kill the grass. there not cheap but neither would the labour be on 15k trees.

we plant a simelar number of trees each year and the maintainance does get easier once the tree pokes its head up over the tube. most of my time post nest season is spent swiping plantations and old mans beard.

a quick google search has found this link

 

tree-shop.co.uk - Kerb Granules

 

otherwise good to hear there is some planting going on!

[Goaty]

Yes we used kerb in the pepperpot shakers.