Christmas tree farm weed control. After years we keep changing our mind on how to do it.

Good morning rob here from the flanigan Homestead i’m about to go out to the Christmas tree farm and spread some Herbicide and kill some weeds out here And uh i must say that this is one of Those things that we have Changed our view on how we want to do This throughout the last couple years We used to spray the entire field trying To get bare dirt We have changed for two reasons one It’s a lot of chemical we want to spray Less chemical Uh be a little bit more environmental Environmentally friendly and people Friendly for that matter And two we are a u-cut christmas tree Farm and so if we have grass growing in Between the rows Um and people are out here walking Around in the pacific northwest where It’s raining all the time And it if it’s just bare dirt it’s mud If we have grass growing there it’s not As bad so For two reasons we are going to would be Spraying just rows and i’ll show you What i’m doing today Um if and also while i’m thinking about It if You uh find any value in our videos Please like subscribe And there’s a lot of christmas tree Stuff to follow and already on here

And uh comments are i love interacting With those people that are watching the Videos so comments and questions are Great Before we get started on spraying the Chemicals i’d like to say keep The chemicals off of you as much as Possible without breathing it Without it on your skin you know when i Got the applicator’s license they talk About different ways you know Uh if you swallow chemical it can come In your body if you breathe it in it can Come into your body and also just Getting on your skin it can be absorbed Just like a nicotine patch and you don’t Want the chemicals On you so i i usually Go to the extreme of protecting myself Nowadays obviously i have long sleeve Shirts i have long pants i’m going to be Wearing Waterproof gloves and i actually wear a Paint respirator When i spray anything like roundup Crossbow or any other herbicide Not that the personal protective Equipment recommendations Suggest it but i err on the side of Caution And there’s no sense in getting this on You especially if you’re going to be Farming year after year Um on a side note you know i have a

Farmer friend in this area that thinks That some of his health issues he’d been Doing it for way longer than me Uh had to do with some of the chemicals He sprayed Over the years on his tree farm and and Sadly My father-in-law now has parkinson’s and It’s a terrible thing to watch him Shaking all the time and and losing his Strength We don’t know that has anything to do With the chemicals but he was farming Hundreds to thousands of acres Every year since the age of 16. so There is a possibility that the Chemicals over time You start seeing commercials that are Saying you know have you been spraying Herbicide do you have parkinson’s We can’t tie that together but why risk It you know Take care of your body clothes Full-length clothes respirator and Gloves And then just don’t let it build up in Time just don’t get the chemicals on Your skin Don’t breathe it in okay now as far as Spraying the chemical itself uh This is early april right now um the Buds have not broke open you definitely You want to wait until it’s late enough In the year

That the weeds are starting to grow but The buds have not broken there’s not new Growth coming out That new growth does not have the waxy Protection that The nobles have and the grand firs have On an established Tree so you don’t want to be getting Herbicide on your tree As much as possible but if you get a Little bit on an Older tree one the size of the tree can Handle a little bit more And two the needles are really really Waxy and will not absorb it nearly as Much You get herbicide on a smaller tree The needles are do not have that Protection the same amount of protection Plus you get it on one little branch on A tree that’s a foot tall And that’s a fairly amount good Percentage of the size of trees so you Have a better risk Of killing the tree so be really careful When you’re spraying the herbicide Especially around the small trees keep The wand down low Try not to get it on the tree especially The younger trees and Start your spraying before bud break if You get bud break And you put it on there those those Branches are going to die off

So maybe you probably can’t pick this up On the Video but this is an older noble Probably five six feet tall And these needles are definitely firmer And have a more Uh wax like substance on the needles Where As if you get this noble that we just Planted this year These little needles will absorb Herbicide much more likely and they’ll End up dying off this bud is trying to Open right here So we need to be careful around that Especially Okay as i run out of westar i’m just Going to go to Straight cornerstone you might ask what Cornerstone is it’s basically a roundup It’s glyphosate it’s round up by a Cheaper name Uh you can go look on your product Labels most of the broadleaf killers That you have is a 24d product That’s what’s in crossbow that’s the Best known product there Glyphosate is what’s in roundup but it’s Just a generic name so you can get the Same stuff a lot cheaper We happen to be getting it in the brand Name of cornerstone Sometimes we can just go down to the Store and you know the feed store and

Just buy Glyphosate and that’s basically uh Roundup So for my uh tank my three gallon tank I’m going to put About 10 i’m going to put yeah Approximately 10 ounces Of cornerstone in Which is this measuring cup that i have Right here One thing i’ve learned don’t set down Your container that has all the Chemical in it and then keep working put The lid back on after you pour it out I once had a 180 dollar thing of altor And i turned to put it in a sprayer and I tipped it over and there goes 180 Worth of chemicals so put the lid back On As you keep working on mixing I’m going to get the tank about half Full And then after i get about half full I’m going to start pouring in the Cornerstone And then fill it up continuing to Agitate as we go You can see what’s left from last year What we’re trying to accomplish We’re trying to get a two foot wide Strip and all the way around the tree Going north south and then In between we’re just going to let the Grass grow and we will be mowing

This north-south direction running a Mower up and down this way But we’ve we’re trying to kill the weeds In between the trees going this Direction So we don’t have to mow east west as Well as north-south Okay here we go i happen to be doing Grand firs first because that’s One end of the field i’ll be working up And down There has been nothing on our tree farm That has we have changed our mind on More Than what we’re going to do about the Weeds what chemicals to use how we’re Going to apply it If we’re going to leave grass in the Middle and whatnot it Is something that has continued to be a Challenge for us and we’re continuing to Evaluate What we want to do So we have done this uh in the past with The boom sprayer being towed behind a Tractor Or a quad and that goes a lot faster but We found that uh by doing it this way we Protect the younger trees a lot better And it’s a lot better to take a little Bit more time And save the younger trees instead of Getting it on the small trees and losing A bunch

Then you gotta wait another year to Plant So while i’m between tanks why even Spray herbicide there’s a number of Reasons one is cosmetic that’s not the Main one My business partner who owns the land Out here does Weddings on the property because it’s a Beautiful piece of land And people like to come out here but They don’t want to see they love the Christmas trees surrounding the wedding Venue But they don’t want to see weeds okay so That’s part of the Deal but more importantly for the growth Of the christmas trees If you don’t get rid of the weeds and The grass right around the trees they’re Competing for the same nutrients and More importantly water so you need to Get It out at least real close to the tree Especially the young ones And then also there’s a lot of pests That grow in here Mice and rabbits will chew on the trunks Of the trees especially the younger ones Around here so If you get if you keep it mowed low in Between And keep the weeds out from around the Trees it really helps in the process of

Keeping the rodents Down the hawks and the owls come in at Night and take care of a lot of them Actually And also another really important reason Uh to keep the weeds down is we get some Thistle and some other Tall grasses that if we don’t spray it Or mow it it grows up through the tree And then it takes sunlight away from the Branches that want to grow and fill in And they force the branches away and They create holes in it Or if it grows up in there even if we Come through later and cut it off The leaves and whatnot are in the tree And just given a trashy look So we so to get a sheared nice better Looking tree we can’t have the weeds Growing up through it even if we take it Out later It’s done some damage and robbing the Branches of sunlight so it won’t fill in So we need to keep the weeds under Control Thanks for joining me on the flanigan Homestead where christmas trees are my Business Teaching including horticulture is my Job and outdoor projects are my passion I love hearing from and interacting with You if you guys have comments or Questions that’s Great please like subscribe share

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