This Hudson Suprema, 4-gal backpack sprayer is great. I use it for weed and vegetation control only, although I have the neutralizer stuff to clean it and make it safe for other stuff. Last year (2011 summer) I sprayed numerous zones with extra-strength Roundup to wage my war of attrition on burdocks. With burdocks, you had better kill the plant because it is a biennial and it is a survivor. Nonetheless, I combine harvesting the burrs with spraying and I have virtually eradicated them. Once in a while I run across one, usually in a far-off area I don't visit much. I spot-sprayed shrubby vegetation, small trees, stump-sprouts, and sumac growing in the fields which were bulldozed and planted summer of 2011 with Garlon-4 Ultra. I will testify that this stuff KILLS what you put it on and nothing comes back. This summer, 2012, I took a walk down where I had done it and it is pristine!
Zone above the burn-barrel to the left and up to the fence along the top of the hill:
ReplyDeleteLast action-bulldozing and spot planting of clover, timothy, and orchard grass in some of the scars. There is a big brush pile to be got rid of.
Today: One 4-gallon batch of Garlon-4 Ultra. I went from the beginning of the field above the burn barrel all around the brushpile where tons of seedling birch, shrubs, buckthorn, multiflora rose, honeysuckle, and all manners of shrubby stuff is sprouting. Some of these seedlings were getting quite high. We'll see what happens.
One 4-gallon batch of Garlon-4 Ultra from the lower corner above the burn barrel along the near edge above the old orchard to the corner, then up to the fence and a wee bit to the left. Trying to push back all the shrubby vegetation to the edge of the natural woods. There is a lot more to do in this zone, but I'll wait and see how this treatment worked.
Zone in lower field next to the road all the way to Graber's line fence. My treatment in the field last fall was highly successful. There is virtually nothing to walk out in there after! I did one 4-gallon batch of Garlon-4 Ultra from the corner by Schmitz mailbox along the inside of the fence all the way to Graber's line fence and left a little ways. There's still the brush pile in the hole there and continuing on. I sprayed a lot of burdocks that were coming up along Graber's line fence where it is low and wet.
ReplyDeleteDrainfield Mound. Sprayed all shrubby trees that were starting up and any burdocks that I could find.
ReplyDeleteField up Toward Spring.
ReplyDeleteSprayed the entire perimeter plus a few excursions inward here and there. Took basically two 4-gal batches of Garlon-4, 8 fl oz to a batch.
East Big Hillside Field
ReplyDeleteDid a perimeter spray from the south bottom up to the top fence and a little bit to the right, up to a big jackpot of growth, which I doused as well as I could until I ran out. Took two 4-gal batches to do this, Garlon-4.
North Five Next To Road
ReplyDeleteStarted at the southeast edge where you come out of the sunset bottoms. Went along perimeter around the little point and up to the SE corner of the little field above.
Sunset Bottoms
ReplyDeleteCathy and I went through the entire area, spraying stump sprouts, brushy start-ups, burdocks, nettles, and Ragweed. Used up a whole 4 gallon batch on it.
Creek bed running down from the spring:
ReplyDeleteUsing left over Garlon-4 from the last spraying with Cathy, I walked the creek bed and found precious little in the way of burdock to spray. My plan is certainly working here. Spent the rest of it on edges here and there and sumacs in fields on the way back.
North 5 acre field along road.
ReplyDeletePicked up where I had left off on Graber's line fence, went up around perimeter and up to hidden field.
Hidden Field:
ReplyDeleteDid entire perimeter of hidden field with Garlon 4. There is a lot of work to do inside this field yet.
Valley Below City Rock:
ReplyDeleteDid the west perimeter from hidden field to the corner below the rocks. Encountered a burdock jungle at about the corner. Used everything up I had. Need to pick up here and continue around and up the hill to the top.
North edge of big hilltop:
ReplyDeleteTook one sprayer full of Garlon-4 and picked up where I left off, at the fence on the north edge of the top and worked west. Lots and lots of stuff in there where the bulldozer had cleared and scraped. Sumacs, shrubs, popples, boxelders. Got to the top edge of the west valley fields. Near a big juniper. Will take one or two sprayers full to connect from there below
Lower field, upper edge:
ReplyDeleteStarted out in the corner where I left off. Lots of stuff. Got down around the point and starting back up the hill and ran out by the big white pine. Probably connect up with the other point in 1/2 sprayer. Then I can go and connect up the one remaining piece.
West 40
ReplyDeletefinished up the perimeter where I left off and used about 1/3 sprayer.
West 40
ReplyDeleteHiked to the top of the hill and went down the south edge to the burdock jungle where I had left off before. The perimeters of all fields are now done. But there is lots to do
North Forty including the pothole.
ReplyDeleteTook 1 sprayer and used almost all of it going thru the pothole and then walking all around the North Forty zapping little startup sumacs, boxelder stump sprouts and seedlings, and such. I consider that field, along with the South Forty, done now. The Sunset Strip is also considered done insofar as the spraying goes. There is a lot to to in the hidden field, the orchard field, and the east and west forties, though. I also need to keep a close eye on whether the sumacs are adequately done in by this stuff.
East Forty
ReplyDeleteWent above the burn barrel to that brushpile, edged it all some and had at that hillside again but not up towards the top. Continued south along that edge and spent the last on that huge jungle of honeysuckles near the bottom. This area will need lots more work, particularly on the south edge.
Hidden field
ReplyDeleteUsed up one 4-gallon batch Garlon-4 on the popple forest trying to reseed at the base of the hidden field, then went up and sprayed tons of sumacs in the lower entrance part. More to do up there but this should make a real difference in the visible portion from the road.
Took 4-gal Garlon-4 to the top of the big hill and worked a swath to the west slope. Went down the northwest slope through sumac startups and really tried to do a number on anything that was visible from the road. This is still just gross work; I will need to hit these areas again and again.
ReplyDeleteMade up one batch of Garlon-4 and hit the east-40 low--got it pretty well covered. If I go high once I'll have that field pretty much under control, I think.
ReplyDeleteWe have had a horrible, hot, humid, rainless summer. That finally abated and I put together a batch and did the open areas on the field toward the spring and the hillside of the east 40. Some of my previous work was very successful and this went as a mop up activity. I have more to do on the west 40 for sure. That is the most needy area now.
ReplyDeletemixed up one tank of Garlon and went up to the top of the hill. Amazing take-over of that bulldozed area by seedling popples and many sumacs as well. I did what I could but this war will take at least two more visits. Near the woods-line everywhere my previous visits have been very effective, but the hot weather kept me from moving up into the field. I kind of took the high route over now and will do a pincer action when it is obvious what I hit and what I didn't.
ReplyDeleteMade up a batch of Garlon and drove the truck down to the west gate. Hiked the edge, nailing thistles and a few little things I missed, but the line fence is pretty secure. Went up into the hidden field and took it to hundreds of sumacs that are out in the open part. The edge, like other places is very secure but I have to do the pincer action low now and high later. Plenty to do here, too, if I have enough summer left. When leaves start to fall, I'll be out of luck until spring.
ReplyDeleteMade up a 4-gal batch of Garlon-4 and first hit the pothole in the west 40. Then over to the little clump of sumacs that survived. Hacked them down and sprayed the cuts. Over and up to the west side of the big hill where I took the lower and southern edges of a healthy acre of sumacs that have taken over where the bulldozer scraped out a clump of boxelders in a draw. Was able to get the periphery only. Then over to the southern woods edge and down, where previous work was successful. Got some mop-up done there and spent a lot of liquid near the bottom where the only remaining healthy pocket of burrdocks remains on the farm. Then along the western edge hitting pop-up popples and thistles.
ReplyDelete4-gal batch to the west side of the big hill. Hit the upper edge of the large group of sumacs and worked down around the south to the lower edge.
ReplyDeleteMade up another 4-gal batch of Garlon-4 and drove down to the west gate. Took a machete and did a chop & squirt on the big patch of sumac on the west side of the big hill. Also did a mop up operation around the area and a perimeter job including some incursions and mop up in the area south of there. Came back up over the hill and spent the last bunch of spray on the popple sprouts at the top.
ReplyDeleteHit that same patch on the west side of the big hill. My previous work was obvious. They were all red and the ones inward were still green. Did another layer from the north top around until I ran out, including mop-up. Getting close to the end of the season for using spray. In fact, told Cathy that it is over, so I will only do mop-up if I'm alone here at the farm. Otherwise, hit it hard at the beginning of next spring, as early as things start coming up. I feel that every area is under control, meaning that nothing remaining is attached to the woods, and has been worked toward the middle.
ReplyDelete