You can always find a reason to not use something...but seeing as how the experts recommend it and use it, RoundUp is the most effective way of dealing with crop-ups. Burying them in soil will do nothing except encourage root development to proceed further. Smothering roots can cause problems with trees, but doesn't kill advancing roots. You don't say Toronto what the saplings are from...you evidently have a tree--possibly one that's been chopped down....maybe dug up...and it is sending out roots where saplings keep popping up. The constant mowing, removing and spraying RoundUp will do the job.....eventually. You might trace back to where the tree was, dig there and spray RoundUp there also. Now in the Toronto area, you may not find such herbicide on the store shelves....you might have to go wider afield...out into the suburbs. Any Canadian Tire store has it. If you plan on maybe using a weed killer ....such as Killex...it would prove time saving to buy it IN BULK...at the same time...you cant find it on shelves in Toronto proper.

Actually Cheryl, I do not pose as and expert. Never have. Have given opinion, and reasons for those, but never said I was an expert. I also was not wrong about the paperbark maple, as it's in my own yard. I noted that my experience was different, at which point you again set out to "prove" me wrong. Problem was that you were again wrong about the weather in Virginia vs NW Arkansas last year, and you failed to prove me wrong. I'm sure you understand nothing of weather patterns as well. Zone 7 Arkansas, Tennesse, and Virgina etc are all very similar. And my tree is thriving today. Dogwoods the same story, you insist you know better despite not having been here. Now your arguing with photographic evidence. The only one that thinks you are right is you. "But be forewarned, if you go spouting misinformation, don't be surprised when someone calls you out on it." You need to pay attention to your own advice, because mis-information is exactly what you have been spouting, and you are being called on it, which is exactly what YOUR problem is. Oh, and in way of basic ecological education. Understory trees are often understory trees because that is where they are most competitive. Meaning that they can compete well against anything else that can grow in the shade. That does not mean they can't grow in the sun. Often they can, but in a natural competitive environment, they get out competed by the Oaks,, Maples, vines etc. Therefore that is not where you most often find them, but it does not preclude them from growing in full sun. Some species, that will be the case. But here Redbuds, Paperbark Maple, Triflorum Maple, Many Japanese Maples, and others do well in sun. Scarlet Oaks are found mostly on dry Ridge tops in their native range. Why? Because they can outgrow most anything else that can grow in that environment, even though they are perfectly fine in most any responsibly draining soil. But you rarely find them growing there naturally, because they get out out competed. Seems Brandon nailed your multiple identities since you seem to think I'm j0nd03, who I have never meet in person. As I recall you claimed Sugar Maple could not grow well in full sun of Tennessee either, until I showed you the natural distribution map. The problem here is that you can't tolerate being dead wrong and everyone knowing it. Arktrees

ibuzzard - yes, constantly adding organic matter after harvest before the next crop. To speed things up bring in a lot of organic matter as manure + bedding to compost in piles set aside from the current gardening beds. Then after harvest rake those on to the beds if you let some lay fallow or put what is crumbling & dark brown on beds you plan to replant right away. It takes awhile to build enough compost to cover all the beds at all times, but with diligence you can do it. The small animal manures like chicken & rabbits are potent, but not the quantity you'd need. Get a hold of some horse manures and you'll be able to speed up the process. Ten years of using chicken, duck & rabbit manures from our backyard animals (Plus liberal amounts of used coffee grounds + shredded leaves mown over on the lawn in fall. Plus our kitchen waste compost bin contents.)... didn't up the soil organic matter content as much as when we started adding horse manure as well composting first in piles or spreading in fall on fallow beds. Volume made a huge difference though I was quite skeptical in the beginning, afraid of weeds & then learned about the herbicide residue in some hay fed to livestock. I made sure we used manure from horses fed alfalfa hay instead. Now after at least 3 years of horse manures we no longer need 6-12 inches of it added in the fall to break down. The soil is light, fluffy and diggable with hands rather than pickaxe like before.

But Silica, oh but you do know me and have been around here long enough to know what I have done, said, and what my feelings are about CHC, let alone all the time I spend here.:-( We have met before on many occasions and you read here alot too, enough to see who I am for I do know you;-) ...................................................... Posted by silica (My Page) on Thu, Sep 9, 10 at 11:24 Last Spring I put several of my trees into the 4-1 CHC peat mix. The growth on these trees was absolutely fantastic, far surpassed my other citrus. Actually unbelieveable. Also it is very assureing that a citrus tree growing in a 4-1 CHC mix cannot be damaged from over watering. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: Updated trees from Coconut Husk Chips to the 5.1.1 mix. Pictu clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by meyermike_1micha 5 (My Page) on Thu, Sep 9, 10 at 12:21 That is the thing Silica.. Not that I am not happy for you, in fact proud of you.. But I have asked so many times for help to be able to grow them as you say you did, and there is rarely anyone to help! Where are the pictures of the trees, the close up shots of the CHC mix, the instructions, the fertilizer regimend you use, the step by step instructions, the suppliers, the evidence,the support...ect? Are we at the wrong forum for all the CHC experts and the pictures? Are you able to answer questions about nutritional defficiencies and how to correct them? How many did you loose over the years figuring the stuff out? Did you wash it? How do you keep the salts out? How do you keep the pH perfect? There might be many here that are still interested at giving it a try.. My plants would of died in that stuff by the time anyone could tell me what to do.. It is nice to know ...................................... I guess sometime forget. We have had many past conversations and at times nice, and at time have not agrred on certain things. I think you missed my whole point about thinking about giving it a try and being pushed back even further because people that have used CHC run from healthy debate and still have yet to prove the science behind it and support the evidence so that ones like me can be convinced or have a reason to use them once again or for the first time. I am not upset at what was said toward Al, no not at all, in fact he can defend himself, although I must admit I was a bit perturbed because I was not the only one that understood it the way I saw it, but I am dissapointed in the way the conversations end, like what you did, in which it is always the ones that use bark that continue to prove the superiority of it, and the ones that use CHC chips that leave. It sounds fishy to me, that's all. If you don't care what I use, then why are you here trying to convince us, me, others that CHC works better and advantages of it over bark? I know that people like Al care about what I use, and that is why I continue to follow those that do have a concern for my success and for what is really best for my trees. Not harm intended, no hard feelings, for as I said, I also respect you in your crusade to purswade others that CHC is the way to go, and I accept any misunderstandings. Have a great weekend nad thanks for your time. Thank you Jodi and thank you for your well said post too! Mike;-)