Sycamore saplings

Lois Lame said:
Ash seeds are longish and thinish and in bunches of many per bunch. Maples have only two seeds per 'bunch'. Or to put it more accurately, maple seeds come in pairs.
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It was the seedlings I mistook for sycamore, they all start off very similar with a stem and two leaves either side. I wasn't until a few I'd missed grew on a bit I realised it was ash 😀🙈 Also I have many many ash trees so makes more sense they are ash, but for safety I removed them anyway 🙂
 
The ones that grow on - the second leaves on mine are red? I’m not 100% sure they aren’t maple but I pull them up anyway…
 
My bottom paddocks have come up with literal hundreds this year!

I had it sprayed 2 years ago and that seemed to had done the trick for last year too but my god, this year it’s breaking me doing it by hand.
I’ve done 3 hours so far and probably done a quarter of the field.

Definitely having it sprayed next year. Luckily horses still out in trash paddock for another 2 weeks.
 
Timelyattraction said:
Please can someone tell me if you spray the saplings do you need to go and pick them up after or can you just leave them?
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Depends on how long you’ve kept the horses off and if they died.

Two years ago, we had ours sprayed in April, kept horses off till June and there were non- I then picked the ones I could see but it was a handful compared to what was there before.

I’m doing the same again this year. It’s being sprayed this weekend. I’ve tried to hand pick but so far I’ve done 3 hours and it’s not even a quarter!
 
BlackIrishBeauty said:
Depends on how long you’ve kept the horses off and if they died.

Two years ago, we had ours sprayed in April, kept horses off till June and there were non- I then picked the ones I could see but it was a handful compared to what was there before.

I’m doing the same again this year. It’s being sprayed this weekend. I’ve tried to hand pick but so far I’ve done 3 hours and it’s not even a quarter!
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Perfect thank you I’ve got a corner of the summer field fenced off where I can see saplings and will just get it sprayed and leave it until I can see that’s there’s none left. I’ve walked all across the other parts of the field and picked about 4 and haven’t noticed any more so hopefully it will be ok 🤞
 
spotty_pony2 said:
I’ve got Norway maple and a sycamore tree bordering my field where the horses are currently. There is a lot of grass and I am led to believe they don’t actively seek out the seeds, just eat them if nothing else is readily available. I keep finding the odd seed and pulling them up but if there is a lot in one area I usually fence off and mow. Whether it’s too early or not I’m not sure but so far this year doesn’t look as bad for me as the past two years!!
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I saw my pony eat a seedling while on lush grass, he just gobbled it straight up so I've been very proactive with seedlings since.

I usually have them starting to come through in their hundreds from mid Feb, but this year I've found one! If only every year was like this.
 
follysienna said:
I saw my pony eat a seedling while on lush grass, he just gobbled it straight up so I've been very proactive with seedlings since.

I usually have them starting to come through in their hundreds from mid Feb, but this year I've found one! If only every year was like this.
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exactly this! apparently they are worse if we have a long hot summer as the trees go into survival mode but I don’t think it was as hot last summer as it was the two previous summers. My fields have been rested all winter and I am only finding the odd seed. Usually there is a large square I have to fence off every year around this time until the middle of summer while I remove all the seeds but I’m checking everyday and there is no sign!
 
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