Need help - stop saplings from growing in my yard

aeroguy

Senior member
Mar 21, 2002
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Moved into this house last fall and now have 100+ saplings growing in the back yard. The lawn's only about half green, so I don't have to mow very often. Besides mowing them off is there any way to get rid of the and/or stop them from growing? FYI I have sodded bermuda grass and no trees in the yard.
 

drnickriviera

Platinum Member
Jan 30, 2001
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Preemergent herbicide will keep seeds from germinating. What kind of trees? You could use something like 2-4-d (Trimec is one brandname) which is a broad leaf herbicide to kill them and not harm the bermuda
 

Otaking

Diamond Member
Mar 13, 2000
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Originally posted by: markgm
1. Have 100+ saplings
2. Open paper mill
3. ...
4. Profit?

It'll probably cost a pretty penny to open a paper mill, so it will be awhile til you get to step #4.

And Hammermill probably has a monopoly on paper already. :(
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
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Originally posted by: apoppin
only 100?

How big are they?

i pull mine out before they get big . . . . or use the hoe to do it ;)
Your wife doesn't object to doing it?


:evil:
 

Grey

Platinum Member
Oct 14, 1999
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If seedlings are getting established in your lawn it probably isnt that well established yet. Do you have a norway maple by you or something?
 

Chompman

Banned
Mar 14, 2003
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Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: apoppin
only 100?

How big are they?

i pull mine out before they get big . . . . or use the hoe to do it ;)
Your wife doesn't object to doing it?


:evil:

Dammit, stop making me laugh and wake people up this late at night. :p
 

aeroguy

Senior member
Mar 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: apoppin
only 100?

How big are they?

i pull mine out before they get big . . . . or use the hoe to do it ;)

I didn't count, but there is definitely 100+, and it looks neverending.

The saplings are only about 4 or 5 inches tall and 1/16" thick which would be easy to pluck off, but they are growing out of dead looking stubs the height of the mower blade that are 1/4" to 3/8" thick making it very difficult to pull out the root. So they are pretty established I guess. I pulled one out with a pliers that was 3/8" thick and the root was 8" long... and I didn't even get the whole thing! I did this when they were just coming up and it looked like there were only a few, but there are more and more every day.

I need to post a picture when I get home.
 

aeroguy

Senior member
Mar 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: Grey
If seedlings are getting established in your lawn it probably isnt that well established yet. Do you have a norway maple by you or something?

The lawn is sodded and fairly healthy. Bermuda is pretty thick grass but it isn't totally green yet. The neighbors don't really have any trees right next to the yard either.

I think the problem is that the saplings are growing out of old stubs (dead looking things around 1/4" to 3/8" thick cut off to the height of the mower blade) and the roots are fairly established, which makes them hard to pull out. I'm not sure if the old owner didn't mow for several months or what. The house is the product of a divorce and only about 2 years old, so I don't know how they ever got that big.
 

aeroguy

Senior member
Mar 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Where do they come from? Why don't you just leave them alone? You'll have a grove instead of a lawn.

I don't know where they came from, although the area was full of trees before they developed it. Maybe they are left over seeds that popped up from under the sod? My entire lot is like 1/4 acre. I don't have room for a grove.
 

anno

Golden Member
May 1, 2003
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do they have sweet gum trees where you live? there are always new sweet gum trees coming up in our yard.. they grow off the roots of one that was cut down years ago and I don't know how you'd ever get rid of them altogether.. maybe the roots will eventually die. they only really come up in the spring though, so.. mow 'em down and you ought not have to worry about 'em again til next spring..

 

aeroguy

Senior member
Mar 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: iroast
start digging the roots out :) or napalm.

Mmmm, napalm.

Seriously though, I don't want to start digging up the sod. Besides, like I said before, some of the roots are very deep.
 

aeroguy

Senior member
Mar 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: anno
do they have sweet gum trees where you live? there are always new sweet gum trees coming up in our yard.. they grow off the roots of one that was cut down years ago and I don't know how you'd ever get rid of them altogether.. maybe the roots will eventually die. they only really come up in the spring though, so.. mow 'em down and you ought not have to worry about 'em again til next spring..

I googled a picture, but am not sure I could identify a sweet gum tree. It looks like any other tree to me! That's good info about them mainly coming up in the spring. Thanks for the advice.