QuestionI have a Black Mulberry tree that has thousands and thousands of berries....they fall out tree onto the lawn and now I have thousand little weedlike (actually little mulberry seedlings) Question: How do I get rid of these, will my winterizing fertizer/weed & feed handle this?
Thanks,
Greg
AnswerGood Afternoon Greg:
Mulberry trees are a big problem when it comes to the seedlings. Even though you may control them with certain broadleaf herbicides they will re-seed themselves the following year. You may have to make up your mind whether or not you want a seedling free lawn or a black mulberry. I have a neighbor some distance away with a mulberry tree and I get seedlings also. They are distributed by the bird droppings.
Keep your lawn mowed from 2 ?to 3 inches and mow frequently removing no more than 1/3 of the grass blades at each mowing. Winterizer fertilizer is highly recommended . By following proper mowing and fertilizing you will get that dense stand of grass that will deter some of the mulberry seeds from germinating. I don't think weed and feed fertilizer will keep the mulberry from germinating and if it did it would only be for a short while in the spring.
Although control is difficult, mulberry tree seedlings can be treated with postemergence broadleaf herbicides. Make sure the seedlings are actively growing. I would suggest herbicides containing dicamba. Three-way broadleaf herbicide combinations (one product containing all three herbicides) may provide the best control. They would include:
2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) Mecoprop or MCPP (2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid), and Dicamba (3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid).
Several of these three-way herbicides are available (Trimec, Three Way Lawn Weed Killer, etc.); check product labels for these active ingredients. Read and follow all label directions. Herbicides containing 2,4-DP or triclopyr may also be effective.
Remember, that short of getting rid of the mulberry tree, the fix will only be temporary.
Good Luck!
Floyd McMahon
