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summer into a well prepared seedbed. Use 50 to 75
pounds of seed per broadcast acre to establish tall fescue,
or 25 to 50 pounds of seed per broadcast acre to establish
hard fescue. Blend up to five pounds of perennial ryegrass
per one hundred pounds of hard fescue seed to provide a
fast thin cover while the hard fescue gets established. The
perennial ryegrass will be eliminated from the stand by
disease and drought in a few years.
Use a seeder manufactured to sow grass and other
similar sized seed that will ensure proper seed placement,
a firm seedbed, and good seed and soil contact. Failure to
use adequate equipment for seeding frequently results in
poor establishment. Seeding should be completed by
September first in the northern counties of New Jersey,
and by September twentieth inthe southern counties.
Apply 50 pounds of nitrogen (N) per acre at seeding and
repeat in late fall or early spring to encourage rapid
establishment.
Excellent results have been obtained by seeding
perennial grass in the future tree row as well as between
the rows. Use perennial ryegrass in the row rather than
fescue. Rapid establishment and growth, and
susceptibility to herbicides make perennial ryegrass a
better choice. Kill the sod in the row when the trees are
planted and "no-till" the trees into the dead sod. Use
recommended herbicides to control weeds. The sod's
roots increase soil organic matter, and improve soil
structure and water permeability before it is killed, and
acts as a mulch to conserve water and prevent erosion
during the establishment year of the orchard. By fall the
dead sod deteriorates and is not attractive to rodents.
Establishment of a dense sod that is competitive with
weeds will require fifteen to twenty months. Some
additional effort during this period will ensure success.
Apply Prowl 3.3 EC to the sod early each spring while
the orchard is nonbearing to control large crabgrass and
other summer annual grasses. Use 1.0 to 2.0 pounds of
active ingredient per acre, about half the rate recommended
for use in the tree row on newly planted trees. Use 2,4-D
early the first spring after sowing the grass to control
broadleaf weeds. Apply 0.5 to 1.0 pint of 2,4-D the first
spring after sowing. Continue to use 2,4-D in the fall or
early spring in subsequent seasons at normal
recommended orchard rates when needed to control
dandelions and other broadleaf weeds in the sod.
Mechanical weed controlmethods include plowing,
disking, and harrowing before planting an orchard and
disking, mowing, and hand-weeding after trees are
planted. Many weeds, including established perennials,
can be controlled mechanically by starving the roots. The
weed begins to send food to the roots 10 to 14 days after a
shoot emerges from the soil. Repeated close mowing or
shallow cultivation within 7 to 10days after any new
shoots appear can eventually kill the weed. Much repeated
cultivation are usually needed. One late or missed
cultivation can "save" the weed. Mechanical weed control
has disadvantages. Close cultivation can injure tree
trunks, and cultivating too deep can prune tree roots.
Repeated cultivation can destroy soil structure and reduce
the organic matter content.
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Residual herbicides remain in the soil and kill weeds
through their roots for up to several months. Application
should be made before weeds germinate. Weeds begin to
compete with most crops within 2 to 4 weeks after they
appear, and some products are effective only on
germinating seeds. If weeds are present, a postemergence
herbicide should be combined with the residual herbicide.
Residual herbicides are applied incorporated or
preemergence.
Incorporated herbicides are mechanically mixed with
the soil. This application method is NOT well suited to
orchards. It is difficult or impossible to incorporate
herbicides near the tree trunk, and tree roots may be
pruned by the equipment.
These herbicides are applied to the soil surface.
Rainfall or overhead irrigation before weeds emerge is
usually needed to move the herbicide into the soil and
make it available to the weeds. Use a postemergence
herbicide if weeds are present or if they emerge soon after a
preemergence herbicide is applied, unless the
preemergence herbicide will also work on weeds that have
emerged.
Postemergence herbicides kill weeds through their
leaves rather than through the roots. They can be safely
used in orchards by carefully applying the herbicide to the
weeds without allowing it to contact the fruit tree. The
herbicide should be applied when weeds are growing
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