Sycamore seedlings!

[pistolpete]

Help please. I moved to rent a lovely field last October with four sycamore trees in the no mans land just outside the edge. I paid in February to have them cut down. The seedlings this spring however are huge in number. I’ve been pulling them Up and keeping ponies away from the affected areas. Problem is I’m losing the battle to remove them. Grass is so long now I am struggling pull them up. Will they die off eventually? Am I doomed to not use this part of the field? The ponies grazed it over winter and we’re fine. Don’t want to move but this is potentially a deal breaker.

 

[Meredith]

We fence off the area, which is only small fortunately, then strim and rake it up afterwards.

 

[Merlin11]

I have found that they tend to die off once the grass really comes through. So you may be ok to graze those areas in a month or two.

 

[Lois Lame]

Are they small enough to mow over?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We put our sheep near the trees first. They leave no seedlings at all!

 

[tallyho!]

Is the link proven now? Only where we are, near enough 50 horses over the years have grazed under sycamores and none of them have been affected.

I absolutely understand that it's devastating but would love to know exactly what type of sycamore that affects horses because clearly the ones we have don't seem to contain the same toxin.

 

[Steerpike]

https://gallopingdinnerplates.wordp...rgoz6Jo-_x-M3hWwlPtB3SL4ogLErpBZhKCg7q-zIdCUM
I have just read this heart breaking blog, I would fence off and storm and rake up if possible

 

[windand rain]

I am pretty sure you can test for the toxin now and therefore reduce the risk to the horses and save felling trees. It saddens me to hear so many people butchering the natural trees around their fields without checking if they are a problem first. I accept that it is a knee jerk reaction to seeing them about but with elm disease and Ash die back too many trees are disappearing from our countryside. As to the seedinling then chopping them up with a lawnmower or strimmer will kill them off but you do need to either pick up the mashed bits or leave it a long time to rot away before using that spot.

 

[tallyho!]

https://gallopingdinnerplates.wordp...rgoz6Jo-_x-M3hWwlPtB3SL4ogLErpBZhKCg7q-zIdCUM
I have just read this heart breaking blog, I would fence off and storm and rake up if possible

Totally heartbreaking for her 😭. I think testing trees is the way forward. Horrible 😓😓

 

[cobgoblin]

Has it been proved that trees produce the same amount of toxin every year?

I thought toxin levels were variable.

 

[pistolpete]

Can you spray them?

 

[windand rain]

Can you spray them?

yes but you would still need to collect them all as spraying would not get rid of any possible toxin

 

[L&M]

We mow ours with the garden mower and collection box.

But they will die off when it gets hot enough, or there is too much grass to prevent them getting enough moisture /light.

Having lost one to sycamore poisoning 3 yrs ago I would never be too cautious - the field had horses in it for over 30 yrs with never an issue.