[Skduckhunt]

I know that we already have some areas filled with Sericea Lespedeza and a pretty good stand of Autumn Olive...Is Tordon RTU the preferred herbicide for painting on cut Autumn Olive??

Also, what is the preferred method of eradicating the lespedeza? I know the seed matures in the summer heat... Or at least it seems that way..

thanks
SKD

would a dish scrubber, a hollow plastic handle with sponge head, be a better applicator than a paint brush for the Tordon RTU?

[Edited on 12-24-2009 by Skduckhunt]

 

[OutbackBio]

Tordon RTU should work for cut stump on Autumn Olive. One thing you may want to consider is using a concentration greater than 10% of Roundup or generic Glyphosate. Prices on roundup have gone down by 50% this year. Just apply roundup to the cut stump like you would the Tordon RTU. See also the website below for control recommendations for Autumn Olive and other invasive species such as Serecia lespedeza, Johnson grass, bush honeysuckle, and garlic mustard to name a few. As with using any chemicals, always read and follow label recommendations and safety precautions.
http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/exotic/vegman/four.htm
Serecia eradication: Treating by broadcast or spot-spray with either Remedy or Pasturegaurd have been very effective at ‘controlling’ Serecia. Treat during summer months and up to flower formation. Seeds typically start to form and mature after September. If you start your treatments in June or July, this will give you time for the plants to yellow so you can follow up with multiple treatments on plants that you may have missed. Again, please read and follow all product labels.
As for the dish scrubber idea, sounds interesting. I would always caution the use of materials that may not be intended for a specific purpose, especially when using chemicals. If you have Tordon RTU, just use the attached cap as your applicator or use a small spray bottle to squirt the product onto the cut stump.
Good luck and Merry Christmas to you all!!!

 

[Maconplc]

Depending on how many Autumn Olive you are cutting, you may also want to look at Pathway. It is essentially the same chemical as Tordon rtu, but in a 2 1/2 gallon jug. You can get it about 30% cheaper by buying the large quantity. I prefer Tordon rtu or Pathway to concentrated Glyphosate products, because on some species, the glyphosate will suppress the stump sprouts for 2-3 years and then all the sudden you find some re-growth. That is my personal preference though.

I always use a spray bottle to apply herbicide to cut stumps. I feel the Tordon rtu bottle is a little too liberal with the spray. I have always gotten along fine with the sprayer so have not tried any other methods. wildbio is right on about following label directions. Tordon rtu is notorious about moving through the soil and causing residual damage if you over apply. It can lead to a big bare spot on the ground.

As for sericea, wildbio is right on again. One additional thing to consider is to burn off the field/s with the sericea problem in April. That will stimulate additional sericea seeds to germinate. You will still have to hit it every year, but you can get rid of much of the seedbank by burning first. When spot treating sericea, it is easiest in June because at that time, it tends to be about the tallest plant in the field. If it gets to the flower stage before you get to it, you can hit it with Ally or Escort and still kill it. Even if you have to mow a patch of sericea in September because you can't get to it yet with chemical, do what you can to prevent it going to seed. Then make sure to hit it the next June.

Dealing with invasives is a real pain and we will be dealing with them for as long as we manage wildlife. Good luck and if you need more advice, hit up your local PLC.

Note: MDC (therefore me) does not recommend any one chemical over another. The brand names I used are herbicides I've used and am familiar with. There are other effective herbicides available and feel free to shop around.

 

[OutbackBio]

Maconplc makes a good point about pathway. I have not used it for autumn olive but have used hundreds of gallons for honey locust. One thing I have done to make your $ last longer is mix Pathway at a 50/50 solution with water. It is water soluble so it will not separate in solution. Even at this mix, we have not had issues with kill rates on honey locust.