Newbie looking for alternative to poison.

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Question:

Very interesting. This was exactly what I thought and posted on several occasions in the past few years. I was told, by good "authority," that it could never happen. -Paul

Response:

will travel from one root system to another. My friend’s father used to mow his raspberry bushes down to the ground each fall (of course he was a farmer and had a tractor) and they were the best raspberries I have every had. That would certainly get rid of the saplings or take them down to a manageable size and over time would kill them all.

But this would give you berries only if the plants are everbearing varieties. Most varieties are not. Regards, Bill — "Those who do not learn the lessons of science fiction are condemned to live them." — WTM

Response:

I just saw on HGTV with Paul James that poisoning a plant that has it’s roots intertwined with other plants can kill the other plants. Poisons such as round-up will travel from one root system to another. My friend’s father used to mow his raspberry bushes down to the ground each fall (of course he was a farmer and had a tractor) and they were the best raspberries I have every had. That would certainly get rid of the saplings or take them down to a manageable size and over time would kill them all. So taking what you can out by saw now and then cutting it all down everything to the ground each winter/fall would take care of it if you are willing to wait the time. By the by, I’m a bit confused on this post since it seems I saw it quite some time ago.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thank you in advance for any help you are willing to give me. I am just learning about gardening and have an old mess of a raspberry patch to bring back to life. There are some trees growing in the patch and I want to get them gone with out digging and pulling all the roots up. They are small with long root systems. UGH! I also don’t want to use poisons. Any suggestions about how to get the trees gone and how to keep the unwanted weeds and other bushes from growing there? I am considering covering the ground with a black felt type cover for ahile, with holes for the raspberry bushes to grow through. ??? Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with me. Oh, and there is residual hay or straw from a previous attempt, do I leave it or get rid of it? I’m not sure I understand your problem. If they are large trees, you can have them removed and the stumps ground out. That won’t get rid of all the roots, but that is probably the best you could hope for short of having some heavy equipment tear up your property. Once the trees and stumps are removed you can put down some landscaping fabric/weed stop or several layers of newspapers and cover that with some mulch. ..No way to tell but my first reading imagined the trees as saplings… If so, the roots don’t need to be removed. Just cut off the saplings close to the base with pruners. One will have to return several times to cut off new growth but they’ll die unless they are forgotten and put out new leaves. Roofing felt? I doubt it would make a very good weed block, plus it contains asphalt. Newspaper would be better. Was the straw a weed block? Can’t tell but it wouldn’t work. It will gradually decompose. -Paul

Response:

Small? How small? If they are over 6 inches in diameter, really tall, or close to buildings, toppling them without killing yourself and/or damaging the buildings can be tricky. If they can fall in any direction without hitting anything important, even big trees can be felled by amateurs. If they are small enough that your hands can circle the trunk, try this. You need a chainsaw or other tree-cutting saw, two long ropes, a "come along" or some strong chain or cable, a "pulaski" (it’s a combination axe and pick for grubbing out roots), a shovel, a pair of big branch loppers, and a long crowbar. 1. Saw them down, leaving a 3 foot stub for leverage. Follow the usual logging safety rules: notch the tree on the side you want it to fall on, and have two people apply slight tension to long ropes to guide the tree to the desired target. Stand TO THE SIDE as you cut through the other side (they can "kick" several feet to the side you are cutting from and kill you). Really small trees – the 10-12 foot, 2-3 inch trunk "brush" kind can just be chainsawed down . Work from the outside of the patch into the center, dragging them off as you cut to leave a clear and safe work area. 2. Slice into handy chunks and haul trees off. Rent a shredder and make mulch for the berries 3. Dig around the base of each tree, chopping through each root with the pulaski as you find it, or use the loppers on smaller roots. Periodically rock the tree back and forth (that’s what the trunk stub is for – rocking) to reveal more roots, prying at the base of the rootball with the crowbar. 4. Eventually you will get all the roots severed. Atach the comealong and haul the roots out of the hole. UGH! I also don’t want to use poisons. Any suggestions about how to get the trees gone and how to keep the unwanted weeds and other bushes from growing there?

Heavy mulch, and vigilance. I am considering covering the ground with a black felt type cover for ahile, with holes for the raspberry bushes to grow through. ???

"weed-control cloth" covered by a heavy mulch would be a good idea. there is residual hay or straw from a previous attempt, do I leave it or get rid of it?

Till it into the soil. Tsu Dho Nimh The neat thing about free speech, practiced properly, is that *everyone* gets to do it.

Response:

Thank you in advance for any help you are willing to give me. I am just learning about gardening and have an old mess of a raspberry patch to bring back to life. There are some trees growing in the patch and I want to get them gone with out digging and pulling all the roots up. They are small with long root systems. UGH! I also don’t want to use poisons. Any suggestions about how to get the trees gone and how to keep the unwanted weeds and other bushes from growing there? I am considering covering the ground with a black felt type cover for ahile, with holes for the raspberry bushes to grow through. ??? Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with me. Oh, and there is residual hay or straw from a previous attempt, do I leave it or get rid of it?

I’m not sure I understand your problem. If they are large trees, you can have them removed and the stumps ground out. That won’t get rid of all the roots, but that is probably the best you could hope for short of having some heavy equipment tear up your property. Once the trees and stumps are removed you can put down some landscaping fabric/weed stop or several layers of newspapers and cover that with some mulch.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thank you in advance for any help you are willing to give me. I am just learning about gardening and have an old mess of a raspberry patch to bring back to life. There are some trees growing in the patch and I want to get them gone with out digging and pulling all the roots up. They are small with long root systems. UGH! I also don’t want to use poisons. Any suggestions about how to get the trees gone and how to keep the unwanted weeds and other bushes from growing there? I am considering covering the ground with a black felt type cover for ahile, with holes for the raspberry bushes to grow through. ??? Thank you again for sharing your knowledge with me. Oh, and there is residual hay or straw from a previous attempt, do I leave it or get rid of it? I’m not sure I understand your problem. If they are large trees, you can have them removed and the stumps ground out. That won’t get rid of all the roots, but that is probably the best you could hope for short of having some heavy equipment tear up your property. Once the trees and stumps are removed you can put down some landscaping fabric/weed stop or several layers of newspapers and cover that with some mulch.

..No way to tell but my first reading imagined the trees as saplings… If so, the roots don’t need to be removed. Just cut off the saplings close to the base with pruners. One will have to return several times to cut off new growth but they’ll die unless they are forgotten and put out new leaves. Roofing felt? I doubt it would make a very good weed block, plus it contains asphalt. Newspaper would be better. Was the straw a weed block? Can’t tell but it wouldn’t work. It will gradually decompose. -Paul

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