Dicophar on beech hedge?

redlough

I was hoping for some advice, I have a beech hedge which is over run with nettles etc. I got a recommendation to spray with dicophar which will kill the nettles seemingly but not hurt the trees? the trees are planted about 3-4 years now and I have struggled with weeds from day 1 on them

One more season and they should be big enough to stop the growth underneath but wondering is this correct?

Jim_Hodge

It kills broad leaf plants. A beech is a Broad leaf plant. Whoever suggested that is nuts. Tough gloves and reach under the head and pull the nettles. It's easy and it's only a young hedge.

The Continental Op

No way, you might not kill the hedge off completely but you'll kill most of it and leave the rest twisted stunted.

Most sprays state on the label that they shouldn't even be used to spray under a hedge line.

Nettles are a pain but not that difficult to get rid of. Regular stimming will reduce them to next to nothing in a season but obviously don't strim the bark off your hedging pants. I'd just strim the outer ones then hand pull any near the center of the hedge.

redlough

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119194623#Comment_119194623

That's what I have done the last few years....was looking for the easy option but I suppose it doesn't exist :-)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119194852#Comment_119194852

I tried the strimmer one year but it hit 1-2 trees and killed them. The hedge is about 200m long so 1-2 wasn't bad but I would prefer not to use it again

Thanks for advice

The Continental Op

Strimmer will keep a lot of the nettles down and stop them spreading. You should be able to gauge the depth of the hedge and strim a line along the base and manage to keep the strimmer line tip say 4 inches from the trunk of the plant. But I know there is always a temptation to get that last bit and you end up getting tooooo close and doing damage.

Squiggle

You don't want nettles or grass or anything else growing around the hedge! Dicophar is a selective weedkiller and won't kill grass.

I have sprayed Roundup or Gallup around hedge plants for years without adversely affecting the hedge plants. I use a concentration of about 150 to 200ml of weedkiller to 15l of water.

standardg60

Easiest thing to do is spray in Spring before the Beech leaf up, bit late for that now obviously but next year.

The Continental Op

I'm a bit blasé with weed killers but I'd keep dicophar off any woody shrub even if totally dormant, its a selective weed killer that hangs around, even the label says it remains active after use for up to 3 months. Its a mix of 4 different selective weed killing chemicals and you even have to be careful if you compost grass that has been sprayed with it as if you use the compost too soon it can put a good kink in the growth of anything you put the compost on.