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Controlling baby trees
From small acorns grow great oaks.
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| Baby hickory sprouts on a suburban lawn. |
With the intense suburbanization of the past half-century, many Americans
find themselves living on the edge of the woods. Grassy lawns grow
on land that was once wild forest, and the woods would reinvade and
take over many backyards, if no effort was made to prevent it.
Growing a lawn on a lot deeply shaded by big oaks, hickories and
maples is difficult enough. But every spring, homeowners discover
new baby trees growing amidst the grass. These leafy interlopers
may be small, but they are tough and woody. They will break the
filament of a string trimmer, and may even damage a lawnmower's
blade. What's a suburban lawn master to do?
Baby trees growing on the lawn have two sources. Some are new plants,
growing directly from a seed, acorn or nut. These are easily removed,
just by pulling them up. You must make sure you uproot the seed,
fruit or nut itself, along with the plant and its nascent root.
This will insure that the little tree doesn't come back by next
week.
Other baby trees are actually new shoots growing from old roots.
These are more difficult to eradicate, and seem to regrow every
time they are removed. The action of the sun on an exposed tree
root will cause a new shoot to sprout, again and again.
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| Sassafras shoot growing from an old
root. |
A preventive method that works in some cases is to completely cover
up the root with soil. This blocks the sunlight and prevents the chemical
reaction that causes the root to shoot. However, once some roots have
defined a growth point, covering them up is useless, and the new shoots
simply push the dirt aside.
Instead of clipping or mowing these new shoots every time they
reappear, you might consider removing the offending root. However,
this poses some risk to the parent tree. It would be prudent to
consult a professional arborist before undertaking this solution.
Another option for control is to use Dragon® Super Brush Killer
available at your
local Southern States dealer. Spray it on and watch them wither
and die.
Living by the edge of the woods brings many joys - the quiet shade,
the chirps of birds, the majesty of big trees. But the forest wants
to redevelop your lawn! If you want green grass growing right to
the edge of the leaf litter, you will have to clip, pull, squirt
or cover up those new baby trees every year. Put it on your to-do
list.
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