How to weed tree wells?

[zcarenow]

Hi everyone, I have a question for the experts here. I recently moved to a new house(about 5 months now). What is a fast way to weed the grass/weeds growing from the tree well. Basically, the mulch/soil around my tree has weeds or unsightly grass growing in it. I tried my weed trimmer but that just scatters the mulch and dirt all over the place. I tried picking them with my hands to get it out through the roots, but it is hard and scatters the dirt also. I have tried burying the weeds with more mulch, but it grows through it within a few days. There has got to be a better, efficient way to do this? Any suggestions or pics on how to do this? I've noticed other houses where the tree wells don't have any grass/weeds growing from it. They must know some grooming techniques, but i never see them out doing yard work. Thanks for all the help!

[Mike Robinson]

Selective use of roundup. Landscape felt under the mulch would help too.

[zcarenow]

[Mike Robinson]

Roundup wont kill the soil, but small amounts will kill the grass and shouldn't affect the tree.

[Ether Jones]

No. RoundUp works by entering the plant through the foliage, not the soil. RoundUp starts to degrade as soon as it touches the soil. It does not contaminate the soil or make the soil infertile.

[Mel-Donnie Kelly]

First place the mulch should not be piled up against the tree. It should be shaped like a volcano so bugs and mice won't attack the the bark of the tree, then use only as much RoundUp as needed.

Mel & Donnie down in Bluebird Valley In the middle of beautiful down town Yountsville. Managers of the water works.

[Jim Ledford]

grass. a fast moving runner type of grass and a first cousin to Bermuda grass. selective herbicides will not touch it. so, if herbicide is going to be your choice then a very weak mix of RoundUp® applied very carefully is going to be the easiest fix. make several applications once a week until you see yellowing in the undesirable grass. wet a paper or cloth with the RoundUp® and wipe the grass for a highly controlled application.

mama's front yard. the lawn is the result of several selective herbicide applications at the appropriate time during the year. each flower bed was weeded to a depth of six inches, dirt sifted through a wire screen, leveled, planted with bedding plants, covered with landscaping fabric and then mulched with 3 inches of mulch. I won't be bothered by weeds in the flower beds at my mama's house this year unless grass cut-boy allows the lawn to go to seed and then allows side discharge mower to spray the flower beds. his head goes on a stick at the end of the driveway if he does.

am a firm believer in, the amount of enjoyment one obtains from their endeavor is a result of the work and effort they put into the endeavor.

[trader4]

Jim Ledford wrote: make several applications

And why waste your time with a weak solution of Roundup and several applications? Roundup at a typical concentration of about 2-3% will whack the grass in one application without harming the tree. It's done routinely all the time.

[Jim Ledford]

RoundUp® - the little circle with the R inside implies I'm using a trade name. after Monsanto lost their patent on roundup several other manufactures began producing and selling their version of the product. Dow Agro-Sciences makes theirs and calls it Glyphomax. Agri Star produced by Albaugh, Inc. makes theirs and calls it Gly Star. these two products are sold in 2.5 gallon containers at a strength of 41% Glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine.

at my local Farm supply I can purchase the 2.5 gallon container for 48 dollars plus tax. I have to mix the product to the proper strength in order to kill the undesirable plant while not doing harm to the desirable plant. 3 ounces of product to a gallon of water makes a midgrade strength solution adequate for most applications. some more stubborn plants such as poison oak require

6 ounces of product to a gallon of water. in my soybean Farming operation I mix and calibrate the sprayer rig to apply 32 ounces of product with 24 gallons of water to an acre of land. results from one over the top application can be observed on my web page my lawn care business care must be taken so as not to do harm to a desirable plant and therefore I will employ the tactic of several low strength applications so as to achieve the desired outcome with a negative impact. I was addressing the original poster as if they might be aware of other products available to them as alternatives to the overpriced watered down offerings of the local lowes - home depot type stores.

I am a firm believer in, the amount of enjoyment one obtains from their endeavor is a result of the work and effort they put into the endeavor.

[trader4]

So again, what's wrong with using 2 or 3% Roundup to whack weeds/grass that's growing in mulch around a mature tree? That kills the grass and not the tree in one application. I don't know of anyone that does this in several applications. The spray goes on the weeds, not on the tree. And any slight overspray on the trunk of a tree with Roundup (Glyphosate), isn't going to harm the tree.

[Jim Ledford]

with my lawn care business I prefer not to throw caution to the wind. so, some things I do might take twice as long and I may not make a lot of money as a result of the time involved but, I do rest easy knowing short cuts and the time saving easy way are not the things coming back to haunt me later.

not all trees have the same kind of bark. some will absorb through their bark. why take the chance? does the tree trunk have any nicks, cuts or healing bark scabs? those are places where that "slight over spray on the trunk" may enter into the tree. is there any new growth at the trunk of the tree with foliage? these are just a few of the considerations needing thought before we do that "slight over spray on the trunk". so why then would I want to waste time with all these thoughts and considerations needing proper discernment before I proceed with the task. why not just do what has proven to work and rest easy knowing the desired outcome will be obtained?

[trader4]

Jim Ledford wrote: why not just do what has proven to work and rest easy

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Which is exactly why I just use 2% and apply per instructions around trees. Never had a problem.

[Jim Ledford]

you got to love it when it works out like that too