How to kill ash saplings

Maureen43

Hi All

My garden backs onto a wooded area with many large ash trees. Consequently each Spring hundreds of tiny ash saplings come up in the garden.

Last year I tried to pull them all up by hand but just the thought if doing the same this year fills me with dread.

Is there a chemical I can use which will do a good job? The saplings are currently about 3cm tall.

Thanks!

RAS

Mow them on grass; I recall seeing the local park covered in them just before the first cut.

Hoe anything in borders on a dry day.

BlondeHeadOn

I share your pain, we have ash saplings that keep shooting up every year, and every year we cut them right down.... only for them to come back up again the following year. They are hard to kill and get rid of.


I shall watch out for other replies to this, as I would also like to know if there is a solution!

Mojisola

If they're not an area that can be mowed or strimmed, treat with a systemic weedkiller like glyphosate.

It comes in various versions so you can spray it or paint it on the leaves.

Maureen43

Hi

Thanks. I can't find anything in B&Q....is there a particular brand I should go for?

Farway

Maureen43 wrote: »

Hi

Thanks. I can't find anything in B&Q....is there a particular brand I should go for?

Roundup is the common brand you will find in most DIY or garden centres, it works, maybe a bit dearer that own brands but check how much active ingredient there is first before opting for a cheaper one

zaax

How about selling them. Ash is very nice wood to use

Mojisola

zaax wrote: »

How about selling them. Ash is very nice wood to use

You wouldn't find many people wanting 'tiny ash saplings' for the wood.

Maureen43 wrote: »

Thanks. I can't find anything in B&Q....is there a particular brand I should go for?

If you want to treat individual plants, these are useful -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roundup-Ready-Use-Weedkiller-Gel/dp/B005ZALTF0

If you want to make up your own mix (and you can use a paint brush to apply directly if spraying could damage nearby plants), there's loads of versions on the market -
http://www.roundup-garden.com/weedkilling-products/gc-140ml-concentrate

They are available in B&Q - look for the ingredients on the pack.

Use plastic gloves when applying.

Davesnave

The above advice is good, but you won't get much response from glyphosate (Roundup, or whatever brand) until the saplings are actively growing, as they absorb it through their leaves. At the moment, ash have no leaves!

No one will buy ash now and nurseries aren't allowed to sell it. This is because of ash die-back disease, which is slowly infecting most of the 80 million or so ash trees in the country. It will kill the vast majority of them, so in the long term you'll likely have no more problems.

A bit of a blow for those like me, who would otherwise continue grow ash as firewood!