2
Control weeds around
seedlings. Because weeds grow
faster and often taller than
young seedlings, they compete
for moisture, nutrients, light,
and space. Weed control is
crucial in the first 3 to 5 years
after planting. You will need to
prevent weed growth within a 2
to 4 ft. zone around seedlings.
Here’s how:
s
Remove all vegetation
around the tree site before
planting, either by
cultivation or using a general
herbicide like Roundup in the
fall.
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Control weeds after
planting. You can kill weeds
by mulching around seedlings
with sawdust, wood chips,
bark, or composted leaves.
Be sure to make the mulch
layer about 6 in. thick to
keep weeds from reappearing.
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Apply herbicides, but only
when needed, in the proper
amount at the right time.
Two types of herbicides are
effective in controlling
grasses and broadleaf
weeds:
(1) pre-emergent, soil-applied
chemicals, and
(2) post-emergent
chemicals applied to foliage
of weeds.
Check with your county
agricultural extension
service for information on
recommended chemical weed
control around tree
plantings.
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Weed around your trees.
Cultivation is probably the
least effective method of
controlling weeds, as one
should avoid digging close to
the tree in order not to
damage roots.
Weeding by this method also
must be done 3 to 5 times
per season.
Remove Invasive Plants
If aggressive invaders gain a
foothold at your habitat site,
they may compete more
successfully than your desirable
plants.
Suckering or clonal trees like
sassafras and black locust and
wildflowers like white wood aster
and hay-scented fern can
significantly change the ground
layer.
The best way to deal with
aggressive invading species is
to recognize them early and
remove them as they appear.
Use lists of your area’s invasive
exotics published by your state
native plant society to
determine whether a newcomer
is an appropriate resident. If it
is not, remove and destroy it.
Waiting until invaders are well
established will make more
drastic removal methods
necessary.
Control Overly
Successful Plants
Some of the plants that you
introduce into your wildlife
habitat may be fast growers
and may threaten to take over
your plot.
Ground covers such as
creeping phlox, barren
strawberry, and foamflower
eventually need to be thinned.
Even wild bleeding heart, which
has a delightfully long flowering
period, can overwhelm us in
time.
“Before long, editing becomes
central to the garden’s
maintenance, and the best red
pen is a fearlessly used
compost pile," writes Susan
Dumaine in
Woodland Gardens
.
When plants get out of hand,
she “stands ready to smother
them with mulch-topped strips
of old carpet when necessary."
Nurture Welcome Volunteers
Seed dispersal through wind,
water, or animals will also bring
desirable newcomers to your
habitat. If they are
Foamflower
Creeping Phlox
