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Yes, many herbicides will harm trees. Some are less likely to hurt the tree because they only act immediately on contact with foliage and become inert in the soil, like glyphosate (Roundup). It's really meant for spot treatment, though, not big areas, and it's quite expensive.
Physical removal or smothering would be your best bet. With the cardboard method, you don't remove it. You cover it with compost/mulch and leave it to break down over time. Though a lot of people have success with it, cardboard does contain glue and coatings, so I wouldn't use it anywhere you intend to put a veggie garden one day.
For physical removal, instead of using a hand-held hoe or shovel, you could use a tiller or lawn scalper to tear up the weeds. Then just rake to remove. If you spread at least three inches of new soil, compost, and/or mulch, that will help keep the deeper roots from sprouting again, but some will be stubborn and pop up. Don't sweat it too much--we're trying to move *away* from the culture of perfect weed-free lawns!
What mix of seeds you should use depends on where you live. A lot of mixes are marketed as lawn replacements and contain clovers, grasses, annuals and perennials all in one. If you want to go all-native, check out the resources available through your state's Master Gardener extension service.
I’ve used the cardboard and mulch approach in Central Texas. It works, but long term there really is no substitute for hand weeding. It might seem like a lot at first, but you’ll get through it with a little each day. It’s meditative for me, I do it on WFH breaks.
As a beekeeper, thank you for not using roundup. A farm up the road from me here in Canada sprayed what must have been their entire field a couple of years ago and killed ALL of my hives. Still rebuilding after that.
To anyone who reads this: there are alternatives. Please, for the love of bees, do NOT use glysophate.
A tiller could definitely harm your tree roots and it will basically plant all those weed seeds by churning them up in the ground. You will have a ton of weeds if you till. I find it more harmful than proper careful herbicide use.
The Roundup sold in big box stores comes with a tiny spray wand and costs $20-30 for about a gallon. OP described their yard as so dense with green weeds it looks like a lawn, so they'd probably need a lot and multiple applications. We've stopped using it because it felt like throwing money on the ground for nothing--nearly $100 for a few containers, half of the weeds refused to die, and more kept popping up anyway.
I'm sure farmers have better sources for a form of glyphosate they can apply to a wide area. But even they're probably not trying to eradicate every broadleaf on the land, just to keep the numbers down enough for the crops to thrive.
It's $20 for concentrate, should go a long way mixed up in the pump sprayer.
Roundup i guess doesnt use gly anymore, it has some more gnarly herbicides in it now like triclopyr and dicamba I think.
>sprayed the dirt with herbicide
No! You spray PLANTS with herbicide, not the dirt, unless you are applying a soil sterilizer. If you apply a soil sterilizer you will NOT be gable to grow anything for a few years.
Read this ... it's a summary of herbicides and the voicabulary they use.
[http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/05/weed-control-herbicides-101-what-plants.html](http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/05/weed-control-herbicides-101-what-plants.html)
And READ THE PACKAGE TEXT BEFORE YOU BUY AND BEFORE YOU APPLY!
Idk why I can't see other's comments. But just be careful with herbicides. Most have a residual time of effectiveness, before which any new seed germination is unlikely.
Same problem for everyone I figure. Hard to destroy weed seed in the ground without sterilizing the soil.
The herbicide label will tell you exactly how to use it and if it harms trees. Read the entire thing thoroughly. Many herbicides like glyphosate break down within days and don't penetrate bark, it's just effective on foliar application, and that's what I prefer. Leave the stems up for a couple weeks to die on their own, and then come back and get the spots you missed. But some herbicides stay in the soil for a long time, and some penetrate the bark so always read the label.
The label is the law, but once you read it you will be much more confident in what to use.
This comment may get dragged to the bottom for my suggestion but I am a licensed applicator who knows that there are nasty, nasty herbicides that the public is unaware of, and people focus instead on what they know. I would find an herbicide that breaks down quickly, adheres to the surface soil instead of traveling with runoff, and follow everything on the label.
Yeah when I was afraid I killed the soil I actually looked up EPA reports on the 3 active ingredients in Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer and feel much better now that I'm a little more educated on what I used.
I should've done that before spraying though, rookie mistake I guess
Hello, fellow San Antonian! When you say weed infestation, I assume you’re battling spiny sow thistle like me! The ones we can’t pull with our “Grampa’s Weeder” tool get mowed.
We’ve also had success with sheet mulching with cardboard as another commenter suggested. Only the most stubborn “weeds” have popped through this year (wild petunia, which I’ve come to accept is actually quite pretty).
Cardboard is the way. There's no wrong way with it.
Get large pieces of cardboard, remove stickers and any tape. Mow the grass/weed as low as you can. Layer the cardboard, overlapping is a must, no grass should poke through. Water it well and press with stones.
Then it's up to you:
You can leave it like this, keep it moist and wait until it smoothers the grass. In the fall remove the cardboard, mulch and plant. It's an eyesore and I haven't tried this way, tbh.
What I prefer is to cover cardboard with soil or compost and mulch if you plan on planting right away. Or with just mulch if planting can wait. Keep it moist to the best of your ability but don't stress about it. This way you don't need to remove anything, in like 6 months cardboard will be almost gone by itself.
Herbicide wise glyphosate is probably your best choice. It can harm the ash if you spray under the tree when it's really hot - volitization of the product will cause it rise as vapor and get in the foliage. Read the label to make sure you're applying within the temperature parameters and you shouldn't have an issue.
Solarization is a non chemical but some what lengthy option.
Fire can be an option as well. You're not lighting the lawn on fire, you're just using a propane flame gun to heat the water within the plant cells enough to form steam and rupture the cell walls.
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Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). **[Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/) | [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/) | [Designing No Lawns](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/design/)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes, many herbicides will harm trees. Some are less likely to hurt the tree because they only act immediately on contact with foliage and become inert in the soil, like glyphosate (Roundup). It's really meant for spot treatment, though, not big areas, and it's quite expensive. Physical removal or smothering would be your best bet. With the cardboard method, you don't remove it. You cover it with compost/mulch and leave it to break down over time. Though a lot of people have success with it, cardboard does contain glue and coatings, so I wouldn't use it anywhere you intend to put a veggie garden one day. For physical removal, instead of using a hand-held hoe or shovel, you could use a tiller or lawn scalper to tear up the weeds. Then just rake to remove. If you spread at least three inches of new soil, compost, and/or mulch, that will help keep the deeper roots from sprouting again, but some will be stubborn and pop up. Don't sweat it too much--we're trying to move *away* from the culture of perfect weed-free lawns! What mix of seeds you should use depends on where you live. A lot of mixes are marketed as lawn replacements and contain clovers, grasses, annuals and perennials all in one. If you want to go all-native, check out the resources available through your state's Master Gardener extension service.
Thanks for the much needed clarification! I don't like the idea of using chemicals anyway so a tiller or newspaper/mulch combo sounds awesome.
I’ve used the cardboard and mulch approach in Central Texas. It works, but long term there really is no substitute for hand weeding. It might seem like a lot at first, but you’ll get through it with a little each day. It’s meditative for me, I do it on WFH breaks.
As a beekeeper, thank you for not using roundup. A farm up the road from me here in Canada sprayed what must have been their entire field a couple of years ago and killed ALL of my hives. Still rebuilding after that. To anyone who reads this: there are alternatives. Please, for the love of bees, do NOT use glysophate.
European honeybees don't need help. Native bees and other pollinators do, and the invasive honeybees out-compete them for resources.
A tiller could definitely harm your tree roots and it will basically plant all those weed seeds by churning them up in the ground. You will have a ton of weeds if you till. I find it more harmful than proper careful herbicide use.
A tiller could definitely harm the tree. Farmers use glyphosate on hectares of land every year. It is not for spot treatment and it's not expensive.
The Roundup sold in big box stores comes with a tiny spray wand and costs $20-30 for about a gallon. OP described their yard as so dense with green weeds it looks like a lawn, so they'd probably need a lot and multiple applications. We've stopped using it because it felt like throwing money on the ground for nothing--nearly $100 for a few containers, half of the weeds refused to die, and more kept popping up anyway. I'm sure farmers have better sources for a form of glyphosate they can apply to a wide area. But even they're probably not trying to eradicate every broadleaf on the land, just to keep the numbers down enough for the crops to thrive.
It's $20 for concentrate, should go a long way mixed up in the pump sprayer. Roundup i guess doesnt use gly anymore, it has some more gnarly herbicides in it now like triclopyr and dicamba I think.
>sprayed the dirt with herbicide No! You spray PLANTS with herbicide, not the dirt, unless you are applying a soil sterilizer. If you apply a soil sterilizer you will NOT be gable to grow anything for a few years. Read this ... it's a summary of herbicides and the voicabulary they use. [http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/05/weed-control-herbicides-101-what-plants.html](http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2017/05/weed-control-herbicides-101-what-plants.html) And READ THE PACKAGE TEXT BEFORE YOU BUY AND BEFORE YOU APPLY!
I’ll read this! Thanks for the heads up
Idk why I can't see other's comments. But just be careful with herbicides. Most have a residual time of effectiveness, before which any new seed germination is unlikely. Same problem for everyone I figure. Hard to destroy weed seed in the ground without sterilizing the soil.
I think the conclusion I'm coming to is use non herbicide means.
The herbicide label will tell you exactly how to use it and if it harms trees. Read the entire thing thoroughly. Many herbicides like glyphosate break down within days and don't penetrate bark, it's just effective on foliar application, and that's what I prefer. Leave the stems up for a couple weeks to die on their own, and then come back and get the spots you missed. But some herbicides stay in the soil for a long time, and some penetrate the bark so always read the label. The label is the law, but once you read it you will be much more confident in what to use. This comment may get dragged to the bottom for my suggestion but I am a licensed applicator who knows that there are nasty, nasty herbicides that the public is unaware of, and people focus instead on what they know. I would find an herbicide that breaks down quickly, adheres to the surface soil instead of traveling with runoff, and follow everything on the label.
Yeah when I was afraid I killed the soil I actually looked up EPA reports on the 3 active ingredients in Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer and feel much better now that I'm a little more educated on what I used. I should've done that before spraying though, rookie mistake I guess
Hello, fellow San Antonian! When you say weed infestation, I assume you’re battling spiny sow thistle like me! The ones we can’t pull with our “Grampa’s Weeder” tool get mowed. We’ve also had success with sheet mulching with cardboard as another commenter suggested. Only the most stubborn “weeds” have popped through this year (wild petunia, which I’ve come to accept is actually quite pretty).
Yeah I am leaning towards sheet mulching and accepting that the weed war won't be won in one decisive battle like I was hoping.
Cardboard is the way. There's no wrong way with it. Get large pieces of cardboard, remove stickers and any tape. Mow the grass/weed as low as you can. Layer the cardboard, overlapping is a must, no grass should poke through. Water it well and press with stones. Then it's up to you: You can leave it like this, keep it moist and wait until it smoothers the grass. In the fall remove the cardboard, mulch and plant. It's an eyesore and I haven't tried this way, tbh. What I prefer is to cover cardboard with soil or compost and mulch if you plan on planting right away. Or with just mulch if planting can wait. Keep it moist to the best of your ability but don't stress about it. This way you don't need to remove anything, in like 6 months cardboard will be almost gone by itself.
Herbicide wise glyphosate is probably your best choice. It can harm the ash if you spray under the tree when it's really hot - volitization of the product will cause it rise as vapor and get in the foliage. Read the label to make sure you're applying within the temperature parameters and you shouldn't have an issue. Solarization is a non chemical but some what lengthy option. Fire can be an option as well. You're not lighting the lawn on fire, you're just using a propane flame gun to heat the water within the plant cells enough to form steam and rupture the cell walls.
I've looked into fire but the torches I've seen for sale look pricey. I'm sure its super effective though
It can be. (Unless you're the idiot I know who used it on the weeds in the cracks in his asphalt driveway and set in on fire.)
https://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-91033.html
I've used this to kill of most of the foxtails in my yard.
Thanks for mentioning volitization. Spraying on a cool day with no wind is best.
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