A forest in my new lawn!

[GrannyNanny]

I have a problem that I never foresaw when we built our house with a wooded area behind it -- namely, tree seedlings popping up all over the lawn. The woods are a mixture of ash, chinese elm and (yes, awful!) buckthorn, with a few other trees mixed in, and all of them seem to send seeds onto our grass, where they take root and grow even though the turf is thick enough that you'd think nothing could take root. I am out of ideas of how to control them, short of going around and weeding my grass of hundreds, nay thousands, of little trees -- an exercise I'm not willing to do. Mowing does cut down some of them, but we mow at 4", so that it won't dry out so fast, and the seedlings have to get taller than that before their heads get taken off.
What would you suggest? If I applied a pre-emergence weed killer next spring, would that keep a new crop from growing? Or, does that stuff not work on things like woody plants and trees? I am stumped, so any help/advice you can give me will be much appreciated. Thanks -- Phyllis

[Carol O]

I would think that something that kills broadleafs (dandylions, clover, plaintain, etc,) in the lawn would take care of the small trees, unless they are coming up from old roots and being feed by 'mama' trees. And cutting them at the 4" level, they may not continue growing, unless they put out more leaves under the 4" height, then again I would wonder if they are part of a larger root system. Well, good luck. The neighbor has a willow tree in his front yard that grows out little seedlings all over his lawn, but they are attached to the root system and impossible to keep from regrowing when he mows over them.

[viktoria]

"The neighbor has a willow tree in his front yard that grows out little seedlings all over his lawn, but they are attached to the root system and impossible to keep from regrowing when he mows over them."

If they are attached to mama, they are not seedlings but suckers. It did occur to me, too, that Phyllis' little trees could be suckers, which would explain how they can survive and re-grow in the lawn. How about a good, close-up photo for ID, Phyllis? I can think of a couple of trees right off that could be doing this (poplar, black locust, aspen; alright, three). 4" cutting height in a healthy lawn should be enough to control any tree seedlings.

Viktoria

[Carol O]

Yes, sucker, that's what I think is happening to my brain lately; being sucked of all information. I just could not think of the term! It's been a busy last week.

[kHT]

GN, I feel your pain. I have neighbors that have Pines & Maples and we are forever out there picking up the seeds! All we can do is pull the ones that sprout.

[GrannyNanny]

I will go out tomorrow and get some pics. They are each on their own little roots -- no suckers from mama trees here. They are elm, ash and the occasional maple -- and, of course, buckthorn -- but those are not near any other buckthorns, and when I yank them out they have their own tiny root system too, and are not connected to each other. Most annoying!!!! Phyllis

[kHT]

Gosh GN, I hope you don't have to sit and pull them all.

[GrannyNanny]

Just went out and took a couple of pics: one at a bit of distance so you can see the infestation, and another closer up. Any ideas? Phyllis

[Tigger]

I would just keep mowing. If they keep losing their heads, they'll stop making leaves. Then use a pre-emergent in the spring.

David

[thy]

Keep moving them and maybe cut the grass a bit shorter in rainy times. Think it is old seeds waiting for better times in the soil.
I have been fighting them for 5 years here after I cut Down the trees.. less and less every year, but the watering made them sprout. Mine (ash and elm) are in the beds

[viktoria]

Before I had it cut down, a large ash used to produce lots of seedlings in the perennial beds. Black walnut seedlings come up wherever squirrels bury the nuts. Black locust seedlings come up in the hay fields. Then there are all the native dogwood shrubs, Virginia creeper, grape vines, buckthorn, poison ivy...but I do not recall EVER seeing any seedlings in the lawn! DH does NOT cut the lawn close.

As I said before, the pre-emergents do not appear to affect seeds of woody plants, so you would be throwing away your money.

In your photos your lawn looks sparse. Do you know what kind of grass that is? I wonder if fertilizing the lawn to make it denser would help? Or re-seeding with another grass variety? I am not a lawn person (pretty much ignore mine) so maybe you need to find a lawn specialist. My lawn is never fertilized, de-thatched or watered (except by Mother Nature) and full of other kinds of weeds...maybe those are crowding out the tree seedlings?

Viktoria

[kHT]

GN let me add to Viktoria post. We use Perennial rye here and do maintain a green lawn with mainly fall fertilizer and we are now forced to do the spring with weed control due to all the lawns around us are full of weeds due to neglect. We here have found that even having to use Weed b gone a couple times in the season we still have tree seedlings pop up. Mowing their tops off helps on some varieties but pulling on others are the route we have gone. I just find removing the grass and putting in more flower beds is the best route. I talked to several lawn folks and read up on lawns, but no expert. Some say only fall fertilizer and perennial rye for grass in our area, it takes a beating. Also if you are going to do a new lawn the best time if fall here to do so as long as the grass seed is down by Sept. 1. We will be killing the whole yard next year after we mulch in the spring, we try to do this every 10 years.

[paul_in_mn]

GN, I think weeds and tree seeds have really responded to all the rain we had this year. My MIL has tree seedlings like crazy under/near her Maple, but they are not Maple seedlings, some other seedling that blew in. Mowing has not stopped them, they just branch off. I've pulled some but most don't pull cleanly, so probably looking at a dandelion digging tool...way more effort than I had planned.

[thy]

Talked to my "just across the grass walikng path" today. In front of their house there are a lots of tree seedlings in the grass this year, not seen in the other years.. .. I have live here 5 summers, they have lived here 4 summers.
So what are the differenscies Bort the other neighbourg and they have cut Down huge trees the last 2 years, lots and lots of rain last year and the grass keeper have kept the grass taller this year, first due to a long rainy spring - the gras were just bend down mostly - then to a very dry and warm July
Didn't you get a lot of rain last year too ?
And our grass is normally shorter tan this year

Why do you fertilize grass in the fall ?????? Exept for some organic material I do not get it at all.
Planning a new lawn in the fall / late summer is due to the birds.. in spring they eat the seeds

[kHT]

Fall root growth is greater than summer.

[thy]

Thanks Karma

[GrannyNanny]

I really don't like having a lot of lawn, but that's what I'm stuck with. If I "had my druthers" I would dig most of it up and put in flower beds, but I am 75, and although I have more energy than most folks my age, I also have arthritis, and am simply not up to taking care of that much garden any more. So, I have to deal with the lawn, and try to keep it looking decent. Viktoria, this is a newly sodded lawn, as of spring 2011, right before we moved in, but I agree that some of it is looking sparser than it ought to do. The sod, however, is VERY thick --when the nursery person was out here last week helping me to decide where to put the trees I'd ordered, she couldn't put the wooden stake down into the sod without practically pounding it in. I have been trying to edge my garden beds, to get rid of the grass that is taking them over, and I have had to use a small battery-powered saw to make any headway at all. As the King of Siam said, in the movie "The King and I" -- "Is a puzzlement!"

[kHT]

GN, I have been just mowing the tops off for the past couple weeks and not digging up the peanut butter tree saplings and yesterday I had time to dig them up.
I was shocked to see not one sapling but they had doubled once the top was cut off.

[Midnight Reiter]

I'm sorry!!! I understand because my neighbor planted poplar trees whose roots run underground and new trees pop up everywhere. I tried to dig one up, but the root was bigger than the new tree and it went on for at least fifteen feet. I think it has run under my patio and come out the other side. I dig and dig and dig and never find the end!

I wish people would read up before they plant things! One of my neighbors trees is only about twenty feet from the corner of my house!

Hybrid Poplar
Horticulturalists often intentionally splice and graft poplar trees to create new species, but the trees may also naturally occur wherever cottonwood trees and balsam poplar trees meet in nature. When hybrid trees exist, they generally have some characteristics of both parent trees, including the budding and fruiting capabilities.

Root Spread
Like most trees, the root spread of cottonwood, balsam poplar or hybrid poplar trees depends mostly on the size of the tree. Poplar roots are aggressive growers and the root system of each tree can extend to a diameter equal to the height of the tree. Since poplar roots also grow just beneath the ground's surface, this creates a variety of issues when a poplar tree grows near a structure.

Issues Caused By Root Spread
Some issues created by the wide spread of poplar roots include the breaking or dislodging of concrete surfaces, such as patios, driveways or sidewalks; above-ground roots; or structural damage if the roots get underneath your house, porch or deck. The best way to protect structures from this type of root damage is to plant trees at a safe distance of 150 or 200 feet from all structures and fixtures.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8712627_far-do ... z2aHpZZcsa

[GrannyNanny]

I'm glad to report that these seedlings are NOT from runners from other trees. Yours sounds like a nightmare -- worse, even than bamboo, which goes under sidewalks and driveways and appears all over the neighborhood! We mowed closer this time, so we'll see if that discourages them, but I doubt it will -- it will just make them branch out with more leaves! Phyllis