Weed Control around fruit trees in ground (mainly mango)

[fisherking73]

Obviously my potted plants its easy to control the weeds. Searched and searched on here, found a couple interesting old posts but no definite answer on one thing. I am going to increase my mulch base, seems I went a little to thin at about 1-2inches so will up it to 3-5inches. Also the question I have, I read about ground coverings planted around base of tree will push weeds out, any suggestions on which ground coverings would be best around mango trees?

[bsbullie]

Obviously my potted plants its easy to control the weeds. Searched and searched on here, found a couple interesting old posts but no definite answer on one thing. I am going to increase my mulch base, seems I went a little to thin at about 1-2inches so will up it to 3-5inches. Also the question I have, I read about ground coverings planted around base of tree will push weeds out, any suggestions on which ground coverings would be best around mango trees?

Just leave bare for about 18 inces out from the trunk and then a good heavy layer of mulch going out to 3+ feet.

[fisherking73]

Its that bare area I am having problems with. Best to just keep hand picking (every freaking week or less) or will planting ground coverings help keep out weeds (which not sure it make sense cuz then you have coverings competing for soil around tree?)

[StPeteMango]

I do what Rob suggested: leave 12 - 18 inches of space free around the trunk, and mulch heavily beyond that (to a diameter of 8-10 feet from the trunk). Pull the weeds that come up in the open space by hand. Possible with a dozen trees; if you have many more, I guess it can get to be a pain. On the other hand, don't have to do it that often.
Even the mulched area will see some weeds or grass pop up; nothing compared to what would happen if the entire space was left open.

[fisherking73]

Cool will give it another go with heavier mulch and hand pull  around the base. Guess I am lucky only exactly a dozen trees to do it to lol

[From the sea]

I mulch right to the trunks, I have not had any ill effects.

[ClayMango]

I mulch right to the trunks, I have not had any ill effects.

Yep 2 inches of mulch all the way to the trunk..no adverse effects...Maybe rot is an issue for wet climates?

[Das Bhut]

I mulch heavy until about 2 inches out from the trunk, then mulch lightly. I've only had my trees for about a year and a half but they seem happy like that.

[Future]

Some pros, Dr. Campbell included, have advised  against mulch in cases.  They say the nutrients can prove too rich once the mulch breaks down.  He actually advised people in Bermuda to use sand to keep the area clear, fairly weed free and without the nutrient overdose issue in years to come.  I expect no short term mulch effects would be noticed based on his commentary.

Another consideration is plastic mulch. 

I have some many trees even pots end up too long without  weeding....

[Cookie Monster]

A 6 to 12 inch thick layer of mulch starting about 2 inches away from the trunk out to a radius of 3 to 4 feet will take care of 90% of weed issues. You'll get a few stragglers that can be easily hand plucked once a month or so. Dollar weed and dayflower will invade the mulch areas on occasion, but the issue can be ameliorated if you ensure not to overwater.

I took it a step further and mulch the entire yard to a depth of about 12 inches once every 12 to 18 months.

Have seen nothing but benefit from the mulch. While the nutrient rich soil provided by constant mulching is not conducive to stressing the mango, mature mango trees will still fruit reliably -- at least they do for me.

[ClayMango]

A 6 to 12 inch thick layer of mulch starting about 2 inches away from the trunk out to a radius of 3 to 4 feet will take care of 90% of weed issues. You'll get a few stragglers that can be easily hand plucked once a month or so. Dollar weed and dayflower will invade the mulch areas on occasion, but the issue can be ameliorated if you ensure not to overwater.

I took it a step further and mulch the entire yard to a depth of about 12 inches once every 12 to 18 months.

Have seen nothing but benefit from the mulch. While the nutrient rich soil provided by constant mulching is not conducive to stressing the mango, mature mango trees will still fruit reliably -- at least they do for me.

Jeff, These Cali Weeds will bust through a 12 in layer of mulch with easy....so stubborn...

[Cookie Monster]

eek. There is some sort of annoying grass that came with the dirt I hauled in for the new lot, and it has been coming up through the 4 inch layer I put on top.

Jeff, These Cali Weeds will bust through a 12 in layer of mulch with easy....so stubborn...

[StPeteMango]

I mulch right to the trunks, I have not had any ill effects.

I have seen that with a local avocado grower: About a foot of mulch, right up to the trunk. Asked him about it; he says he's had it that way for years and has seen no ill effects. Since it is a large operation, he uses liquid fertilizer through a watering system.
He gets the mulch from tree service people who are happy to bring it over and dump it close to or among his trees.
For now, I'd rather err on the side of caution and keep the mulch some inches away from the trunk.

[Viking Guy]

Well, where we live, every April and May enough rain falls to wash away all mulch piles for the most part--so worrying about it breaking down hasn't been an issue.  If it doesn't wash away, then the rising water will put weed seeds into the mounds and the determined suckers will grow right on top of the mulch.  We now use the plain cheap cypress.

That said, I keep a minimum of 6 inches away from the trunk for small trees and 2x-3x that distance for larger ones and pull the chips and weeds away after each rain--as some tend to float into the trunk.  I do not recommend adding sand, as we did this one in property, and it made the dirt too compacted overtime.

An extra step is using a ground cover, and we had to do this to snuff out a new vine that introduced itself in a previous flood called bindweed.  The vine takes up to 5 years to die at the root without finding light--super annoying, and growing 4 feet a day and will take over everything.

There are 2 methods I've tried.  One is the synthetic tree base covering from Home Depot.  Perfectly round and can lay mulch on top of it.  The other is cutting circles from ground covering material also from Home Depot.  Get the good stuff--dont buy the cheap crap.  The $40 bundle 4x100 is the right one and it won't tear.

At first glance it will annoy you because mulch won't stick to it and slides around.  Ignore that.  Leave exposed to sun and water for 1 week, then add mulch.  The fibers will expand and the mulch will then cling to it.  So far, the ground cover is the only method which has stopped weeds 100% (other than flood driven surface seeds).  The synthetic tree ring is porous and roots fill it up quickly once lodged.

Some trees I've done nothing.  No mulch or anything.  Just grass.  They shade out the bottoms on their own and nothing grows under the drip line.

The ground covering was work to install, but worth it.  Definitely saved my rose hedges and garden beds from the wild acacia and bindweeds (whose root systems are more detrimental than the plants).

[LivingParadise]

One thing that I found helps a lot when you have to weed is a Hula-Ho:
 http://www.amazon.com/Flexrake-1000L-Hula-Ho-Cultivator-54-Inch/dp/B000UGOBSQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

It allows you to rip weeds out by the base in a matter of seconds without having to bend over, and I find it works all the better if you sharpen the edges. You just push down and use a motion sort of like a vacuum.

If you have a lot of mulch or use ground cover, though, you shouldn't have much in the way of weeds to worry about. Just be careful with the ground cover to make sure the roots can still get air and water - you want to kill weeds, not the tree!

[bsbullie]

One thing that I found helps a lot when you have to weed is a Hula-Ho:
 http://www.amazon.com/Flexrake-1000L-Hula-Ho-Cultivator-54-Inch/dp/B000UGOBSQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

It allows you to rip weeds out by the base in a matter of seconds without having to bend over, and I find it works all the better if you sharpen the edges. You just push down and use a motion sort of like a vacuum.

If you have a lot of mulch or use ground cover, though, you shouldn't have much in the way of weeds to worry about. Just be careful with the ground cover to make sure the roots can still get air and water - you want to kill weeds, not the tree!

Not good for use around young fruit trees with surface roots, as many do.

[SWRancher]

Ignore the weeds, your trees will do just fine. My way of dealing with them under my trees is with a hand mower every other week.

[MangoFang]

Have noticed that a 3-4 inch mulch breaks down to a 1-2 inch mulch in less than a year,
at least out here in the desert, so don't be shy with piling on that good stuff........It keeps
that layer of  soil under it so wonderfully damp, cool and seemingly full of life!


Gary

[fisherking73]

Thanks for the tips, remulched today, need a few more bags.  WEEDS BE GONE!!!!!!!!!

[ClayMango]

Have noticed that a 3-4 inch mulch breaks down to a 1-2 inch mulch in less than a year,
at least out here in the desert, so don't be shy with piling on that good stuff........It keeps
that layer of  soil under it so wonderfully damp, cool and seemingly full of life!


Gary

Yeah I have found mini villages of rolly pollies in my Mulch.

[Mark in Texas]

I mulch and any weeds that come up, which they will, get nailed with a glyphosate spray.

[StPeteMango]

Thanks for the tips, remulched today, need a few more bags.  WEEDS BE GONE!!!!!!!!!

Bagged stuff gets pretty pricey pretty fast. Cheaper options if you use a substantial quantity:

1) Tree service (free, with optional tip to cover gas). Wood chips tend to be fresh cut, may produce a lot of heat.
2) City/county mulch. St Pete, for instance, has good free stuff, charges $25 to deliver up to 6 cubic yards, $50 for 7 - 12; also supplies ground log mulch @ $8 a cubic yard and double-ground log mulch @ $10 a cubic yard -- plus delivery charges same as free mulch. Have tried all three. Ground and double-ground are more decorative, but the free is best for plants/trees.
3) Bag/shovel your own at city/county mulch/brush site. Truck/trailer highly recommended! Also tends to be a hot, steaming pile; if it's a freshly delivered lot from city/county mulch site, the heat could stretch or tear a plastic bag.

[Mark in Texas]

It's easy on your back to rent a 4.5 cu. yd dump trailer, find a service that has a loader to fill that sucker up and be on your way.

I use pine needles on all my tropicals.  Easy peasy - I have a Xmas tree farm and have my elves rake and bag the needles that fall around the tree shaker. Try a Xmas tree grower.

[ClayMango]

It's easy on your back to rent a 4.5 cu. yd dump trailer, find a service that has a loader to fill that sucker up and be on your way.

I use pine needles on all my tropicals.  Easy peasy - I have a Xmas tree farm and have my elves rake and bag the needles that fall around the tree shaker. Try a Xmas tree grower.

Mark

We have an abundance of Pine needles everywhere here in Socal, is this stuff good or what? If so...I' about to do some major volunteer Park clean up....stacking my community service hours for more work Evals, and chalking up some major compost lol...

[LivingParadise]

I mulch and any weeds that come up, which they will, get nailed with a glyphosate spray.

You might want to keep in mind that chemicals are not actually necessary to keep plants living and prospering, and that what we pump into our soil then goes into the plant's cells and we end up eating it. It also goes into our water supply when it rains as run-off, and we end up drinking it - our water treatment facilities cannot filter out these poisons, they stay in our drinking water and build up the more people in our country put chemicals into our soil. Exposure to chemicals like herbicides have many direct links to cancer and chronic illnesses in people, and over many years they build up in the system so a small exposure becomes a big one. They also kill beneficial bugs and animals, including honeybees.

I happened to go to a lecture just tonight that was focusing on these things, and showing the way such chemicals have destroyed the hormonal workings of our local fish, caused male frogs to grow ovaries, and all sorts of other problems. The person giving the talk had worked for many years in a research hospital for children with cancer, and they found tons of these chemicals in the children's tumors and blood samples, that were there only because of exposure from family and community practices like this that people don't realize can kill - especially when dealing with children or anyone with a weakened or genetically vulnerable immune system. Very few of these chemicals have ever been tested for their safety, or the tests were performed and paid for by the company that makes the chemical - an obvious conflict of interest. Chemical companies have very powerful lobbies.

Prior to reading this thread, just today I also came across an article talking about the link between Roundup herbicide inert ingredients  and cancer, deformed animals, etc. It's a really interesting article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weed-whacking-herbicide-p/

These are things to think about.

Many "weeds" are pretty easy to identify and in fact have strong medicinal properties or are edible and extremely healthy - and you get them for free! It might actually be most beneficial to carefully identify what you have, and allow it to grow just big enough to use. Then you have 2 harvests - the plants at the base of the fruit tree, and the fruit tree itself! Purslane is an example of an extremely common weed that is actually VERY healthy, great in salads, and grown in other countries on purpose for food because it's delicious and has a lot of Omega-3s. We don't necessarily have to kill and control everything around us when we grow things in the natural world. Sometimes our environment brings us many gifts for free that we can use in addition to the thing we intentionally planted.