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Post by prairiegarden on Sept 7, 2016 8:45:45 GMT -5
I have a couple of the sour cherries hardy in the prairies and this year they have both sent out dozens of suckers. Someone came and dug some of them out but now where they've been dug out (and he took a fair bit of root ) there are now clusters of new cherry sprouts. Yikes! I've cut them with the mower but that seems only to make new sprouts pop up further away as well as basically just thickening up the cluster of sprouts I cut. What on earth do I do with them?
These things need to get back under control, they are even coming up next to the rhubarb doing their best to smother the asparagus, and my walking onions have vanished.
Hellllllpp, please!
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Post by mskrieger on Sept 29, 2016 14:26:59 GMT -5
Sounds like any persistent, woody weed...you just gotta keep cutting them down. Or maybe get something that will graze them hard, like goats? ATTRA research has found repeated grazing/cutting in the spring growing season is much more damaging to brush than cutting back in the fall and dormant season.
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Post by prairiegarden on Sept 29, 2016 15:28:45 GMT -5
Will have just keep cutting them down, cherry leaf/bark is toxic to most animals. It seems I just need to keep at them a lot more, these things really are like super sized quack grass. If they were on the edge of the property I'd let them just make a hedge but they're in the middle of the garden. Thanks.
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Post by steev on Sept 29, 2016 17:39:13 GMT -5
It you cut them, it may be like mowing a lawn; as much as possible, root them out; they may be suckers from a long root, so slam a pick-spike under it and lever up, if so. Cherry wood is primo in a covered barbie, for color and smoke.
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Post by rangardener on Oct 1, 2016 9:55:50 GMT -5
I was provided with a small “tree wrench” (or weed wrench?) to pull Scotch brooms when I volunteered for Nature Conservancy before. I purchased a bigger one to pull small sweet cherry trees, which are very weedy in our area, along fence lines in my backyard and found it a great tool. Looks like the one I have is no longer manufactured, but similar ones are available. (No business relation) www.ecolandscaping.org/07/product-reviews/product-review-weed-wrench/ |
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Post by prairiegarden on Oct 1, 2016 15:03:52 GMT -5
Those look interesting, and I may just need to get a extractagator, neither is cheap but if the Extractigator actually works it would be a blessing to help get this garden back under some sort of control. I can't do the digging so hired help this summer but although he was one of the nicest people I've hired he never wanted to finish anything and liked to chat so basically got very little done that I'd hoped. Some that did get sort of done..eg blackberry bushes dug out...hasn't stayed done, they came back! Thanks for the information and link.
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Post by MikeH on Oct 2, 2016 8:15:53 GMT -5
if the Extractigator actually works It does but be sure to get the BigFoot accessory. Fortunately, I did because I had some softish areas that would have presented problems had it no been for the accessory which stopped the puller from being pushed into the ground. It's a great tool - got rid of lots of dogwood and sumac easily. Regards, Mike |
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