Killing Rhododendrum

muddle84

I have recently began attacking some rhododendrums that have began crepping across one of my fields. There is no massive ones just yet but there will be if I don't do somehting. I am ripping them up with the tractor and going to burn them but was wondering will round up kill them if I spray it on the leaves?

Has anyone used any other methods of getting rid of this pest?

Conmaicne Mara

There was info on some NPWS site about killing them. Small ones they pulled, then squirted roundup down the hole where the root came from with a spray bottle. Bigger ones I think they cut and painted the stump with roundup. Have a bit on Dads land, must get at it this summer, rotten weed of a thing.

Oldtree

I did a bit of oak wood clearance of rhodo's in the UK, and we hand winched them out by the root and then burnt (carefully in an appropiately moated pit. Very hard work, but they can grow back even with an application of weedkiller, or from even a small bit of root.

They supress other plants and be very careful of the fumes if you burn them, its toxic, don't use as a firewood for the home.

mayota

Did ye see on the news where a couple out hiking got trapped in a forest of them for hours and had to be rescued. Think it was in cork. Loads of them out around Bangor Erris too.

KatyMac

Seen then on telly killing Rhoddies. They drilled a couple of holes in the thicker parts of the trunk with battery operated drills and squirted in weedkiller into the hole. Was working well for them, although they did have to go back on the occasional one. It was in one of the stately home estates and they were trying to clear a huge area. Two men had something like 100 acres to do and they reckoned it would take them at least 18 months to complete.

Conmaicne Mara

mayota wrote: »

Did ye see on the news where a couple out hiking got trapped in a forest of them for hours and had to be rescued. Think it was in cork. Loads of them out around Bangor Erris too.

There's a hill behind Kylemore abbey covered in them too, if I remember right I don't think it's possible to come down off it on that side anymore because of them.

Oldtree

There's loads of it out Achill way too. Its from the Himalayas so its on a continental holiday here.

muddle84

mayota wrote: »

Did ye see on the news where a couple out hiking got trapped in a forest of them for hours and had to be rescued. Think it was in cork. Loads of them out around Bangor Erris too.

I came across that when googling how to get rid of them! Mental stuff

Oldtree wrote: »

There's loads of it out Achill way too. Its from the Himalayas so its on a continental holiday here.

I am beside Achill, they are really taking over some parts. It's crazy how quick they are spreading now.

lazybones32

muddle84 wrote: »

I have recently began attacking some rhododendrums that have began crepping across one of my fields. There is no massive ones just yet but there will be if I don't do somehting. I am ripping them up with the tractor and going to burn them but was wondering will round up kill them if I spray it on the leaves?

Has anyone used any other methods of getting rid of this pest?

Roughly, what size are they? Pulling them out would be the safest and surest method. In Killarney NP, some of the rhodos that have been cut and poisoned are sprouting again, so more than one application may be needed

muddle84

My Neighbours field is completely overrun with them. So too is the fence between my field and his. So they are fairly big ones along the fence, then they ahve began spreading across my field so there are some that would need a tractor to be pulled out and there are small ones that I can pull by hand.

They are extremely resiliant stuff. I cleared alot of the bigger ones with a machine and piled them up to burn them. The pile had been left to dry out for the last month or so and they began to root together again in that length of time. I am not convinced the burning is enough on its own...

Oldtree

They need to be burnt to a crisp as they will just go again from any little bit, thus the need to pull them out of the ground and do follow up work in the years after to be sure. Could have don with a tractor in the oak wood, we used hand winches.

muddle84

Did you burn them after you pulled them out of the ground?

lazybones32

Not being smart, muddle, but unless your neighbour does something about his crop, they will encroach your land again.

An interesting I've learned since this thread started, is that the honey made from rhodo flowers can cause sickness.
"This is known as 'Mad Honey Disease', or 'Honey Intoxication'. Cases of this have been recorded from as far back as 400 BC. It results in relatively short-lived intestinal and cardiac problems and is rarely fatal. The severity of symptoms depends on the amount of contaminated honey consumed. It is worth thinking carefully about the siting of bee hives if Rhododendron is a prominent feature of the area." http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/rhododen.htm Maybe more suited to the beekeeping thread but still relevant.

muddle84

lazybones32 wrote: »

Not being smart, muddle, but unless your neighbour does something about his crop, they will encroach your land again.

You are 100% right. I know this and the neighbour is never going to do anything about there field so I plan on clearing mine and just doing a yearly sweep to keep them at bay.


That is interesting about the honey, the more you lean about these plants the more you hate them!!

ganmo

Anything to be said for adding them to the Noxious Weeds list?

Conmaicne Mara

ganmo wrote: »

Anything to be said for adding them to the Noxious Weeds list?

Is it ever enforced?

Farmer

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

ganmo wrote: »

Anything to be said for adding them to the Noxious Weeds list?

Is it ever enforced?

Couldn't be any harm anyway. It would at least acknowledge that it's a weed rather than the "pretty flower" that many think it is. It would also give you some basis to complain to your neighbour. I don't think it will happen though as it's in too many private gardens and also in national parks.

ganmo

never heard of it been enforced but its handy when telling the councils to get the thumb out, or trying to get a neighbour to stop his weeds blowing.

its not reportable to the guards/council...its straight to the dept of ag, they go through the guards and/or get the weeds dealt with and land the land owner with the bill...and a summons(had to be sure when dealin with the neighbour )

muddle84

ganmo wrote: »

never heard of it been enforced but its handy when telling the councils to get the thumb out, or trying to get a neighbour to stop his weeds blowing.

its not reportable to the guards/council...its straight to the dept of ag, they go through the guards and/or get the weeds dealt with and land the land owner with the bill...and a summons(had to be sure when dealin with the neighbour )

Is this only if it was on the list that was mentioned earlier or does this already apply to rhododendrums?

Farmer

muddle84 wrote: »

Is this only if it was on the list that was mentioned earlier or does this already apply to rhododendrums?

No - just wishful thinking by those of us who are plagued by seed blowing in from adjacent land.