getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"rgree" wrote in message
s.com...
Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated

Glyphosate (Roundup) should do it, as long as you keep it off the leaves of
the tree.
But it is a little late in the year to do it. Why not just let the weeds be
and deal with them when they have woken up next season?

Franz

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

: Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this
: spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as bad as a
lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the better

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"rgree" wrote in message
s.com...
Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated

Strimmer.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"Robert" wrote in message
...
: Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this
: spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as bad as a
lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the better.

I don't understand why it is all the better if one avoids weedkillers.
Roundup has to be absorbed through the leaves and it become innocuous when
it enters the soil.

Franz

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

Qustion :

I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree.

Reply

Strimmer.

Further Reply

Be carefull. Strimmers and young trees do not mix well. Young trees
have tender bark, and the bark is so important to the well being of
your tree.

If you want to cut the docks down to ground level then my advice would
be to use a pair of shears. In my view shears would be quicker that
strimming too. Thats unless you have a whole orchard to deal with.

Strimmers are one of those tools, everyone thinks they are going to be
of more use than they ever really are. By the time you add in all the
time spent running out an extension lead, fixing the broken strimming
blade, etc etc. you could have gone around the garden twice with a
decent pair of shears.

I guess it all depends on the size of your plot.

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"Franz Heymann" wrote in
:


"Robert" wrote in message
...
: Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this
: spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as bad
as a lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the
better.

I don't understand why it is all the better if one avoids weedkillers.
Roundup has to be absorbed through the leaves and it become innocuous
when it enters the soil.

Perhaps because it's a bit late in the year this year? Taking a trowel to
the roots more likely to work at this time.

Plus, (almost) everyone has a trowel, whereas you might have to go out and
buy Roundup, then find somewhere safe and dry to store what you didn't use.

Victoria

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated

We have had some success with the following method (albeit with brambles rather
than dock). Mix your weedkiller (probably glyphosate) with some wallpaper
paste. Then paint this mixture on the leaves of the plants which you wish to
kill. It is quite easy to do this without spilling the mixture on to
surrounding plants.

It worked for us. One warning. Someone recently told me that for some reason
this is not permitted (EU directive, I think). Does anyone know whether that
warning is true, and if so what is its source?

Laurie
Laurie (Laurence) Moseley

Plus Ultra

Expert Systems, Decision-Making, Argentinian Tango & Golf

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

In article m, rgree
writes
Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated
--
In the spring when they are growing strongly, paint the leaves of the
weeds with glyphosate. That way the weeds will die but the glyphosate
won't affect anything else.
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
"Robert" wrote in message
...
: Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this
: spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as bad as a
lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the better.

I don't understand why it is all the better if one avoids weedkillers.
Roundup has to be absorbed through the leaves and it become innocuous when
it enters the soil.

Franz

Franz

There is a risk we will go seriously off topic here, but what the
heck. How do you know that Roundup is harmless. It could be doing
untold damage to all sorts of levels of the biological chain.

Lets assume the guy has a young tree, surrounded with docks. Whats
that 20 dock plants max. Lets allow him an hour to dig around the
tree removing the dock plants, (taking care to get them darn long tap
roots out). Now he can dig in a little compost at the same time and
he gets a bit of exercise, the tree gets some food, and we dont risk
poisoning anything.

Hey, maybe he can even cancel his gym membership and save money too.

Phil

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
"Robert" wrote in message
...
: Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this
: spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as bad as a
lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the better.

I don't understand why it is all the better if one avoids weedkillers.
Roundup has to be absorbed through the leaves and it become innocuous when
it enters the soil.

Franz


Because you have just stated a common myth. It actually depends on the
type of soil and even then you cannot be sure that it is all
"innocuous".
--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn
Bog National Nature Reserve

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

In message m, rgree
writes
Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated

Standard procedure is to keep weeds down round newly planted trees using
glyphosate. As long as you don't hit any green leaves it has no effect
on the tree and it is devastating on grasses and perennial weeds.

The other alternative is to strim, but be sure you don't end up bruising
the trees bark (or worse still stripping it).

You slow down the trees growth and establishment if it is being choked
by competitors during the growing season. Digging out weeds near newly
planted trees going into winter tends to be counter productive.

Be sure it is well staked against the prevailing wind for its first
winter.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

The message
from (Philip) contains these words:

Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as
bad as a
lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the better.

I don't understand why it is all the better if one avoids weedkillers.
Roundup has to be absorbed through the leaves and it become innocuous when
it enters the soil.

Franz

How do you know that Roundup is harmless. It could be doing
untold damage to all sorts of levels of the biological chain.

Lets assume the guy has a young tree, surrounded with docks. Whats
that 20 dock plants max. Lets allow him an hour to dig around the
tree removing the dock plants, (taking care to get them darn long tap
roots out). Now he can dig in a little compost at the same time and
he gets a bit of exercise, the tree gets some food, and we dont risk
poisoning anything.

What about the possible damage to the young tree roots as he digs out
the long dock roots?

Janet G

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

The message
from Janet Galpin and Oliver Patterson
contains these words:

How do you know that Roundup is harmless. It could be doing
untold damage to all sorts of levels of the biological chain.

It's been around long enough for any contra-indications to become well
known. And there is none.

Especially on the scale contemplated.

--
Rusty Hinge
horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

getting rid of weeds without poisoning my tree
 

"Philip" wrote in message
m...
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...
"Robert" wrote in message
...
: Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this
: spring and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of
: dock leave weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them
: without posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully
: appreceiated

dig them out with a trowel is the best solution. Docks are not as bad
as a
lot of perennial weeds and if you can avoid weedkillers all the
better.

I don't understand why it is all the better if one avoids weedkillers.
Roundup has to be absorbed through the leaves and it become innocuous
when
it enters the soil.

Franz

Franz

There is a risk we will go seriously off topic here, but what the
heck. How do you know that Roundup is harmless. It could be doing
untold damage to all sorts of levels of the biological chain.

Please list some of the untold damage which can be done to all sorts of
levels of the biological chain, and please do not forget to give the
references to the research which has proved it.

Lets assume the guy has a young tree, surrounded with docks. Whats
that 20 dock plants max.
Lets allow him an hour to dig around the
tree removing the dock plants, (taking care to get them darn long tap
roots out).

And that is precisely where the problem lies. Every dock I have taken out
physically has regrown the following season.

Now he can dig in a little compost at the same time and
he gets a bit of exercise, the tree gets some food, and we dont risk
poisoning anything.

Hey, maybe he can even cancel his gym membership and save money too.

Franz