This time of year I spend most of my spare time in a tree stand and I often pass the time staring out at the landscape around me and think, gee...I need some trees in that spot and if I had some shrubs along there, what a great travel corridor that would make! Hey...there are worse things to think about! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
I snapped a few pics of some of my trees as I walked out the other day.
Here are some 2 year old Red Cedars that came from the Iowa State Nursery and I controlled weeds with Oust herbicide.You can see that in only a few years they have reached a point of "out competing" the grass and weeds.
I'm not sure if it is weed suppresion or better stock but they sure seem to grow faster then wild red cedars! I feel that red cedars are bar none the best year around screen and bedding cover here in Iowa. They are native and very easy to grow.
The sawtooths have sure grown but no acorns yet...they do make a good screen because they hold leaves nearly all winter.
The High Bush Cranberry's are loaded with berries but they loose their leaves early,so don't use them as a screen.
I've had great success using Oust herbicide but Oust is used primarly on conifers and hardwoods. I've used it on some types of shrubs but not the extensive list of varieties such as those in Skip's previous post.
I think I will try to test different herbicides this spring to see how different seedlings react to different herbicides. If only one is used we have noway of knowing if mortality was caused in part by a specific herbicide.
We also have no way of knowing if growth is affected in any way.
I feel that a combination of Surflan A.S. and Simazine might a safer alternative when planting shrubs that might be sensitive to potent herbicides such as Oust.
I would also add that planting the area to low growing white clover and mowing can be very effective because tree seedlings can quickly rise above clover.
Keeping a "band" sprayed strip around seedlings does help keep rodents from girdling new seedlings.
Here are updated labels, sources and additional links to using herbicides in trees, some that also contain info on calibrating handheld sprayers.
Surflan A.S. Herbicide
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Surflan A.S. herbicide is a <span style="color: #FF0000">preemergence</span> surface-applied product for
the control of annual grasses and many broadleaf weeds in ornamental plantings, bulbs, ground covers/perennials, established warm-season turfgrass, Christmas tree plantations, non-bearing trees and vines, and non-cropland and industrial sites.
Surflan A.S. is orange in color and
may cause temporary discoloration of sprayed surfaces. </div></div>
Oust XP herbicide
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
OUST® XP may be used for general weed control on
terrestrial noncrop sites and for selective weed control in
certain types of unimproved turf grasses on these same sites.
OUST® XP may also be used for selective weed control in
forest site preparation and in the release of
certain conifers
and hardwoods.
OUST® XP can be tank mixed with other
herbicides registered for use in forestry and noncrop sites;
when tank mixing, use the most restrictive limitations from
the labeling of both products.
When applied as spray,
OUST® XP controls weeds by both
<span style="color: #FF0000">preemergence and postemergence</span> activity.
When applied on dry fertilizer, OUST® XP controls weeds by preemergence activity.
When applied as a spray, the best results are
obtained when the application is made before the early
stages of weed growth before weeds develop an established
root system.
When applied on dry fertilizer, the best results
are obtained when the application is made before weed
emergence. The best results are obtained when the
application is made before or during the early stages of
weed growth before weeds develop an established root
system.
Moisture is required to move OUST® XP into the
root zone of weeds for preemergence control.
When applying to newly planted seedlings, wait until rain has settled and closed planting furrows orinjury may result.
OUST® XP should be applied
before the hardwood tree
seedlings or transplants break dormancy (bud swell stage).
Applications made over the top after the trees have broken
dormancy may injure or kill the trees.
</div></div>
SIMAZINE 4L Herbicide
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
SIMAZINE 4L: This product is a herbicide that <span style="color: #FF0000">should be applied before weeds emerge</span> or following removal of weed growth. It controls a wide variety of
annual Broadleaf and Grass weeds when used atselective rates in agricultural and ornamental crops.
Where a range of application rates is given, use the lower rate on Coarser textured soil and soil lower in organic matter; use the
higher rate on Finer textured soil and soil higher in organic matter.
This product enters weeds mainly through their roots; moisture is
needed to move it into the root zone. Very dry soil conditions and lack of rainfall following application may necessitate shallow cultivation orrotary hoeing. </div></div>
Townsend Chemical Division carries basically all these herbicides and many more. They will divide and sell smaller quanities of expensive herbicides like Oust.
Surflan Source Cooper Seed also carries a wide variety of herbicides but many of these can also be purchased locally at your ag supply source.
Weed Control in Tree Plantings
Weed Control for Seedlings
Chemical Weed Control in Tree Plantings
Grass Weed Control in Trees
Don't forget to start thinking about what trees and shrubs you'll want to plant this next spring:
State Forest Nursery Catalog
Just some things to ponder while your waiting for that monster buck to show up this fall... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif