How can I prevent tree seedlings from sprouting?

Question

I am “lucky” to have hundreds of birds visit and live on my rural Nevada property, but under the trees in which they sit, I get thousands of volunteer tree and shrub seedlings–mostly maple, chokecherry, currant, cotoneaster, juniper, cottonwoods, and wild roses. I can’t keep up with them. And I can’t just let them go. . . I’ve tried spraying the seedlings with Roundup (which I hate to do) but it only kills about half, and then I have sharp little dead sticks sticking out of the ground wherever I sprayed. HELP! What can I do to keep them from germinating?

Answer 1

There is a product called Preen that keeps seeds from germinating. It comes in both a chemical and a organic version. Or there is corn gluten, but Preen is easier to find. You would just spread it over the area and this would stop all seeds in that are from germinating.