I knew Rhododendron was a problem, but..

[Quixoticgeek]

Hmm applying pesticides without the landowners permission is very likely to get you into a world of hurt as they say. Ring barking wouldn't cut the mustard either, the stuff is very vigorous and would send out shoots from lower down/the root stock. The stuff is so potent that stick that have floated in in salt water can take root. The leaves are so shiny that you need to use a surfactant with the herbicide or it'll roll off the leaves. On the pig front never tried it, the stuff is poisonous enough that we'd never risk putting valuable pigs in to try. Thee only ways we found were to use either a mechanical chain flail or chainsaws in conjunction with burning and multiple resprays of the returning growth. It's very labour intensive and costly.

On countryfile last Sunday they were drilling holes in the main trunk of the plant, then administering the herbicide right into the inside of the trunk, avoiding any need for a surfactant.

They are a complete menace. Should really be classified the same as Japanese Knot Weed.

Julia

 

[ammo]

Possibly the biggest pain in the woods. It does burn well, but is extremely carcinogenic.

 

[Goatboy]

On countryfile last Sunday they were drilling holes in the main trunk of the plant, then administering the herbicide right into the inside of the trunk, avoiding any need for a surfactant.

They are a complete menace. Should really be classified the same as Japanese Knot Weed.

Julia

Ah, don't have a telly so didn't see it. Sounds like a good idea. Did they leave it to die before going in and chopping it? The stuff takes an age to rot down naturally (even fungi doesn't seem to want to colonise it). I also imagine in large almost impenetrable thickets getting in to dose each plant would be a nightmare. And if you don't get them all (in that huge tangle) then you'll be coming back again and again to retreat. It's never going to be an easy thing to control/eradicate. Always going to be a large amount of people hours in tackling it. We found while volunteer groups were nice (some even paid to do it) they weren't as effective as having trained squads who could used the likes of chainsaws and had herbicide tickets were much more effective. In the end no matter what method one uses it requires hitting it hard and repeatedly. I know that various teams were looking at natural methods of hitting it from it's home range, but there is always a risk of introducing another organism into a new environment as the unseen consequences can be worse than the original problem.

 

[Grooveski]

Our first trip we were planning to drill the stumps to leave a pool of poison. Took a brace 'n bit along but the weather was too bad so we just cut then sprayed when we went back a week or so later.
Had much better weather the next time and could get the spray right onto the fresh-cut stumps. The bigger stumps that went off all ways were drilled in a couple of places too.

Scott was on chainsaw and spraying duty, Kev helped him out and generally worked nearby. Stuart and I stayed as far from the chainsaw noise as we could and only took on the ones where we reckoned we could get the rootball up.

They were a great success story. The lever and mulch method definately works on the smaller stuff. On the second trip we checked some of the first year's work and Scott was all over it all again this year. There's load's of regrowth on the stumps(which we expected) but all the little piles of upside down ex little rhodies are just sitting there looking very satifyingly dead. I was expecting millions of seedlings or for the branches to have take root or the rootball to have.....
...expecting the worst.
...but none of it.

Just some new wee rhodies that weren't showing above the dead bracken when we started. We knew they'd be coming - they'll be popping up for years.

 

[daveO]

Aye it was never native, brought over as said partly as an ornamental but also as cover for game species.

I've read some studies that say it was here before the last ice age wiped it out. How true that is I don't know though.