Poison Hemlock Question Again

[ship4brains]

We bought 10 acres last August. This spring it exploded. I sprayed with 24d and surfactant. Took two applications about 4 weeks apart but it didn't survive.

 

[ship4brains]

FYI, relatives purchased property years ago that was covered in hemlock....bought goats to clear it. They died.

 

[TomA in CA]

I looked up the definition of pith and pithy, and Tom's description is accurate. Mark.

It can grow 6'-8' tall the 1" stalk is tubular and the inner core is a pith when dry. One year back in the 80's when we had the ozone hole I became particularly allergic to the stuff and broke out something furious from driving through a dry stand of it with a tractor.

 

[Texasmark]

It can grow 6'-8' tall the 1" stalk is tubular and the inner core is a pith when dry. One year back in the 80's when we had the ozone hole I became particularly allergic to the stuff and broke out something furious from driving through a dry stand of it with a tractor.

That's where I am essentially: No sap if its brown and dry (killed by Glyphosate) so you don't have to worry about that) but if you whack it seems to me you generate dust that can cause you a problem as you mentioned if (your) not protected. Most of it I can leave it where it is but I have some farm implements that I need to access and that is where I will have to figure out the best approach.

 

[Destroked 450]

Long sleeve shirt, gloves and a dust mask, break the stalks off and move them some place to rot down, or some area were you can drive over them with a tractor to crush them into the ground
If the stalks are still flexible use pruning shears to cut them into stalks

 

[da.bees]

I would believe the info from official sources. You could call your county agent and maybe talk to a human that knows. Seems like a really bad invasive.

That should be true but county agents have become no more than another bureaucrat leeching off taxpayers. .
In conversation with two public school ag teachers and county agent at County Fair Livestock Auction, I asked what if anything has been found that allows cattlemen to determine whether Johnson Grass is safe to graze. Both ag teachers said they always thought a test should be possible but wasn't aware of one. County agent said he recommends the least valuable animal in herd be allowed to graze one or more hours before allowing remainder of herd to graze.
If that man isn't worthless as boar hog nnalert , I can't think of a better example.

 

[Texasmark]

That should be true but county agents have become no more than another bureaucrat leeching off taxpayers. .
In conversation with two public school ag teachers and county agent at County Fair Livestock Auction, I asked what if anything has been found that allows cattlemen to determine whether Johnson Grass is safe to graze. Both ag teachers said they always thought a test should be possible but wasn't aware of one. County agent said he recommends the least valuable animal in herd be allowed to graze one or more hours before allowing remainder of herd to graze.
If that man isn't worthless as boar hog nnalert , I can't think of a better example.

I totally share your opinion of County Ag. Agents, even though the one here is (seems to be) sponsored by TAMU, the state Ag. school. Have had this opinion for decades. Back when I first had this farm, I had a bad erosion problem with the discharge from my pond dam. I worked out a solution and submitted photographs of it functioning during a heavy rain and figured that would be good information for other folks with dams in Blackland Clay like mine. Never heard from the agent, not a peep!!!!!!! In working through this current problem I thought I'd look him up and see what's available from his office......No change from decades ago.....totally worthless even trying to reach him !!!!!

 

[Texasmark]

Long sleeve shirt, gloves and a dust mask, break the stalks off and move them some place to rot down, or some area were you can drive over them with a tractor to crush them into the ground
If the stalks are still flexible use pruning shears to cut them into stalks

I decided to bite the bullet today and snipped off a stem with 5 totally dead, dried out, rosettes. It seems that the rosettes have 5 flowers with 5 pedals each and each generates a seed....and yes they are small...rosettes were about 1 1/2" in circumference, and seeds were about 1mm long and hairy. Just for my personal information, I thought about planting a few of them in a flower pot just to see if killing the plant with Glyphosate had any affect on the germination ability of the seeds......may do that before this is all over.

I have pulled up many, many, pictures of good and bad leaves on the www and can't really tell them apart. In canvasing my pastures, I see growth of something starting to come out of the ground and I would like to know what it is so that I can develop a plan for next year when this years plant's seeds develop their plants....get them before they develop their buds is the idea. I guess I'll just have to wait and watch when they emerge.

 

[joeysmith]

I decided to bite the bullet today and snipped off a stem with 5 totally dead, dried out, rosettes. It seems that the rosettes have 5 flowers with 5 pedals each and each generates a seed....and yes they are small...rosettes were about 1 1/2" in circumference, and seeds were about 1mm long and hairy. Just for my personal information, I thought about planting a few of them in a flower pot just to see if killing the plant with Glyphosate had any affect on the germination ability of the seeds......may do that before this is all over.

I have pulled up many, many, pictures of good and bad leaves on the www and can't really tell them apart. In canvasing my pastures, I see growth of something starting to come out of the ground and I would like to know what it is so that I can develop a plan for next year when this years plant's seeds develop their plants....get them before they develop their buds is the idea. I guess I'll just have to wait and watch when they emerge.

Do you have a smart phone?

Several plant identification apps or ai

 

[Texasmark]

Do you have a smart phone?

Several plant identification apps or ai

No sir. Just a flip but thanks anyway.

 

[TomA in CA]

Hemlock is easily controlled by tillage. It improves soil by breaking up hardpan and the dry stalks are a good amendment. Just hit it when it first comes up. The trouble is it likes to grow where equipment is parked.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

I decided to bite the bullet today and snipped off a stem with 5 totally dead, dried out, rosettes. It seems that the rosettes have 5 flowers with 5 pedals each and each generates a seed....and yes they are small...rosettes were about 1 1/2" in circumference, and seeds were about 1mm long and hairy. Just for my personal information, I thought about planting a few of them in a flower pot just to see if killing the plant with Glyphosate had any affect on the germination ability of the seeds......may do that before this is all over.

I have pulled up many, many, pictures of good and bad leaves on the www and can't really tell them apart. In canvasing my pastures, I see growth of something starting to come out of the ground and I would like to know what it is so that I can develop a plan for next year when this years plant's seeds develop their plants....get them before they develop their buds is the idea. I guess I'll just have to wait and watch when they emerge.

I am VERY interested to know if the seeds are still viable (hope I used that word correctly!) I don't use glysophate on it though, I use crossbow. When it is small, 2 4 d will kill it. This spring I used Nova Graze on my pastures and have only found one cluster of hemlock in a wooded area. I admire your scientific approach for answers. Please keep us posted. Mark.

 

[da.bees]

Whether experimental seed sprout or not, it would be lackadaisical to postpone future herbicide applications until plants set seed. The plant is much easier to kill first year and requires less herbicide.

 

[Texasmark]

I am VERY interested to know if the seeds are still viable (hope I used that word correctly!) I don't use glysophate on it though, I use crossbow. When it is small, 2 4 d will kill it. This spring I used Nova Graze on my pastures and have only found one cluster of hemlock in a wooded area. I admire your scientific approach for answers. Please keep us posted. Mark.

I have a greenhouse and have thought about taking some seeds, from one of the plants I killed earlier in the spring and plant them in a planter, fertilizer and water and see if they come up. That would answer a HUGE question I have about whether or not I killed the young plants AND their seeds this spring. Probably will try the experiment and post the result here.

 

[Texasmark]

Whether experimental seed sprout or not, it would be lackadaisical to postpone future herbicide applications until plants set seed. The plant is much easier to kill first year and requires less herbicide.

That was my assumption and I am anxiously awaiting some results....course that will take a year if the system doesn't sprouts new plants in the fall of its first year of existence (as some sources have indicated), or if I get results from my test planting (either way....yes or no).

 

[da.bees]

That was my assumption and I am anxiously awaiting some results....course that will take a year if the system doesn't sprouts new plants in the fall of its first year of existence (as some sources have indicated), or if I get results from my test planting (either way....yes or no).

I humbly retract recommendations for doing it the easy way, are you committed to buckling down and seeing it all the way to finish? I ask because to be meaningful it will take more than one year.
Invasives always have seed that germinate from fist to several years after they drop.. You will need to create a spreadsheet showing % germination 1st year,,2nd,3rd,4th and down the line. After tying up greenhouse space all those years let's hope followers haven't lost interest and moved on when jury returns.

 

[Ray,IN]

No sir. Just a flip but thanks anyway.

Read the website I linked in a previous reply. The top resembles a carrot top, with flowers when it's time.

 

[Texasmark]

We bought 10 acres last August. This spring it exploded. I sprayed with 24d and surfactant. Took two applications about 4 weeks apart but it didn't survive.

Did you get a low of rain this winter/spring? I did and until I can discover otherwise I'm blaming that........however, it has rained here before and for several years that I can recall, it rained a lot for an extended period. No Hemlock present those years. The other thing that keeps baffling me is that it's in so many places simultaneously where it's never been before and my way of thinking is that plants come from seeds usually. How did the seeds get here or were they here all along and waited 45+ years to germinate?

 

[Ray,IN]

Did you get a low of rain this winter/spring? I did and until I can discover otherwise I'm blaming that........however, it has rained here before and for several years that I can recall, it rained a lot for an extended period. No Hemlock present those years. The other thing that keeps baffling me is that it's in so many places simultaneously where it's never been before and my way of thinking is that plants come from seeds usually. How did the seeds get here or were they here all along and waited 45+ years to germinate?

Plant seeds are scattered by wind, water, on animal coats, fowl feathers, bird droppings, farm equipment, and on human clothing/boots.

 

[Texasmark]

Plant seeds are scattered by wind, water, on animal coats, fowl feathers, bird droppings, farm equipment, and on human clothing/boots.

I don't think any of the above are the source. At a loss for just what it could be due to the peculiarity of the locations and amount of plants in some places........like one is on top of a pile of sand adjacent to a pile of crushed concrete....about cu. ft. total in the conical, sloping top, piles. Several in different locations are in a nice little single row, circle around the trunk of trees with trunks 15-20 inch in diameter. Some right along tree lines....published data says they like to grow there. Another bunch is in a flower bed about 6' in diameter, heavily grown up in plants with a rabbit proof fence around the perimeter of the bed.

I got out a planter this morning and planted 2 dried seed head clusters, 5 small white flowers in a circle of about 2 1/2" diameter, with one in the center, having had 5 pedals (to each flower) when growing, on plants that I sprayed with Remedy 3 weeks ago. My experiment is to see if killing the plants has any affect on the seeds reproducing. The flowers were in full bloom but were recently bloomed.....on the front side of the "growth" mountain as the saying goes.

I'll post results in follow up posts.