Supporting Landholders with Weed Control in the Valley
In October 2023, Upper Deua Catchment Landcare engaged a 3-man team from Apical to spend 4 days in the Araluen Valley working on weed control on private properties. UDCLG subsidised the work on a $/$ basis, offering landholders Apical's services for either a half or full day. The work was completed with a significant positive response from all landowners involved, with appreciation for both the professional approach of the Apical team and also the pertinent site-by-site feedback received. The below provides a run sheet or summary of the weed control measures undertaken at each site as part of the project.
Running Sheet
Daniel Anderson - Apical
Phone: 0415 617 771
Email: Daniel@apical-bushfire.com.au
Site 1: Thursday 19 October 2023 AM
Drive to gate then directed to start of the creek (dry now).
Madeira vine and privet as far as you can.
Landholders have been actively controlling large privet infestations within the creek corridor with observed good success.
Our team continued with the process of targeting large privet trees and privet trees located to the steep embankment areas, where access to control the weeds is difficult.
Landholders have also been actively managing madeira vine which is the PRIORITY and must monitor regrowth of the vegetative madeira material to keep check if it sprouts again.
All in all this site has good native plant resilience and a good diversity of native plants, which will proliferate further once the weed dominance is reduced, the site has a great chance of being restored at maintained at the scale of the current management zone.
ACTIONS
Treat recruitment of juvenile privet seedlings – the privet seed bank will now regenerate with extra light infiltration due to the loss of the privet parent plants and canopy.
Foliar spray privet seedlings with Brushoff – metsulfuron-methyl (herbicide).
Mix – 2 grams – 15 litre backpack.
70ml Synertrol oil.
Revegetate areas on the edges and under good canopy trees, plant 20-40 tubestock at a time, don’t plant in areas of privet seedlings as they will require spraying a few times to exhaust the seedbank.
Site 2: Thursday 19 October 2023 PM
At this project site we focused on undertaking secondary control of previously worked clearance of madeira vine.
Primary madeira vine eradication had been undertaken by Proust Bushland services prior.
To support previous investment is this activity out team continued with the skirting of ascending madeira vines as it is important to remove madeira elevation into the canopy of forest canopy trees.
Once madeira vine is contained to the ground layer, we can reduce the volume of aerial tubers which can become dislodged at height and migrate to grow and spread into new areas.
Madeira vine was sprayed on the ground to reduce the viability of the ground spreading biomass.
Madeira vine was sprayed along fence lines whereby the plants scramble along fences to spread laterally in the landscape.
Madeira vine is prolific within the northwestern zone of the valley and has been left to spread within the crown lands reserves along the riparian zone of Majors Creek. The focus here must be to reduce ascending madeira within remnant canopy trees, so as to limit the death of tree canopy, which would be a catastrophic loss to the riparian forest.
Madeira spray treatment – Chemical (Starane Advance – 70ml per / 15 litre backpack).
Additive – Synertrol Oil 70ml per / 15 litre backpack.
ACTIONS
Continue to remove ascending madeira vine from climbing into forest tree canopies. Cut the vines from the trees and spray the vines on the ground with Starane Advanced (70ml per 15 litre backpack with Synertrol oil or leaf penetrant.
Site 3: Friday 20 October 2023 AM
Madeira vine, essentially start at the causeway and work up creek.
Project site riparian zone along an ephemeral creek (flows in wet periods then remains dry).
Site consisted of a range of expected weedy plants of note:
Hemlock (perennial ground weed).
Madeira vine.
Privet – small leaf / broad leaf.
Blackberry.
Japanese honeysuckle (vine – scrambler).
Work Outcomes
Skirting of ascending madeira vines as it is important to remove madeira elevation into the canopy of forest canopy trees.
Once madeira vine is contained to the ground layer, we can reduce the volume of aerial tubers which can become dislodged at height and migrate to grow and spread into new areas.
Madeira vine was sprayed on the ground to reduce the viability of the ground spreading biomass.
Madeira vine was sprayed along fence lines whereby the plants scramble along fences to spread laterally in the landscape.
Herbicide control of blackberry within the same work zone.
Herbicide treatments
Blackberry – Garlon at 10 X label rate (1.3 Litres to 15 litre back pack) splatter 10% foliage cover of plants to be effective.
Madeira vine - Madeira spray treatment – Chemical (Starane Advance – 70ml per / 15 litre backpack).
Additive – Synertrol oil 70ml per / 15 litre backpack.
Site 4: Friday 20 October 2023 PM
Mainly privet, 2 blocks, large trees, along fence.
Control of stands of large mature privet trees (obligate seed producing trees).
Drill and fill large tree stumps and inject glyphosate (Round Up) into trunks.
Cut moderate and juvenile size privet – stack biomass and paint all cut stumps with glyphosate (neat – straight).
Both large leaf and small leaf privet.
Back pack spray juvenile – privet seedlings to kill off the juvenile plant recruitment.
Foliar spray privet seedlings with Brushoff – metsulfuron-methyl (herbicide).
Mix – 2 grams – 15 litre back pack.
70ml Synertrol oil.
ACTIONS
Backpack spray recruitment of juvenile privet trees until the seedbank is diminished and less privet seedlings are evident to the project area.
Foliar spray privet seedlings with Brushoff – metsulfuron-methyl (herbicide).
Mix – 2 grams – 15 litre backpack.
70ml Synertrol oil.
Site 5: Saturday 21 October 2023 Full day
Control of stands of large mature privet trees (obligate seed producing trees).
Drill and fill large tree stumps and inject glyphosate (Round Up) into trunks.
Cut moderate and juvenile size privet – stack biomass and paint all cut stumps with glyphosate (neat – straight).
Both large leaf and small leaf privet.
Back pack spray juvenile – privet seedlings to kill off the juvenile plant recruitment.
Foliar spray privet seedlings with Brushoff – metsulfuron-methyl (herbicide).
Mix – 2 grams – 15 litre back pack.
70ml Synertrol oil.
Skirting of ascending madeira vines as it is important to remove madeira elevation into the canopy of forest canopy trees.
Once madeira vine is contained to the ground layer, we can reduce the volume of aerial tubers which can become dislodged at height and migrate to grow and spread into new areas.
Madeira vine was sprayed on the ground to reduce the viability of the ground spreading biomass.
ACTIONS
Backpack spray recruitment of juvenile privet tree’s until the seedbank is diminished and less privet seedlings are evident to the project area.
Foliar spray privet seedlings with Brushoff – metsulfuron-methyl (herbicide).
Mix – 2 grams – 15 litre backpack.
70ml Synertrol oil.
Continue to remove ascending madeira vine from climbing into forest tree canopies. .Cut the vines from the trees and spray the vines on the ground with Starane Advanced (70ml per 15 litre backpack) with Synertrol oil or leaf penetrant.
Site 6: Sunday 22 October 2023 AM
Project scope –
Selectively reduce the proliferation of African love grass spreading on the lower floodplain paddocks.
Brushcut clumping love grass tussocks with brush cutters – metal slashing blades, brushcut to clumping base and allow to regrow for a few weeks before applying herbicide spray.
Select areas of patchy infestation and reduce the spread via control on the migration edges of the grass patches.
Brush cut patches and in areas where other grass species are apparent.
In areas where love grass is dominant and appears the only grass species in the ground layer a tractor with a high slashing deck at approx. 100mm above the ground will be suitable to remove bulk of grass material.
Once slashed areas are re-growing with new lush growth this is the best time to foliar spray the zone.
Herbicide control mix – glyphosate (Round Up) at 2% concentration, therefore 200ml to 10-15 litre backpack is sufficient. Definitely mix with dye colour to identify the zone sprayed and 70ml Synertrol oil.
Unfortunately, we were unable to complete of work on this site, the wind was strong at the afternoon session time and our team was depleted and unwell at the end of the trip.
I recommend a full day at this site to extract the most value from the method and given the large – broad extent of the targeted work zone, I am happy to reschedule this site in the next 4 weeks if desired.
Site 7: Sunday 22 October 2023 PM
Control of stands of large mature privet trees (obligate seed producing trees).
Drill and fill large tree stumps and inject glyphosate (Round Up) into trunks.
Cut moderate and juvenile size privet – stack biomass and paint all cut stumps with glyphosate (neat – straight).
Both large leaf and small leaf privet.
Privets were controlled along the front embankment of the property to reduce seeding adult plants in the general area.
The team also cut out and treated wild tobacco plants within the same target zone.
Skirting of ascending madeira vines as it is important to remove madeira elevation into the canopy of forest canopy trees.
Once madeira vine is contained to the ground layer, we can reduce the volume of aerial tubers which can become dislodged at height and migrate to grow and spread into new areas.
Madeira vine was sprayed on the ground to reduce the viability of the ground spreading biomass.
Madeira vine was sprayed along fence lines whereby the plants scramble along fences to spread laterally in the landscape.
Madeira vine was sprayed along the front fence in the corner of the lot. Herbicide: - Madeira spray treatment – Chemical (Starane Advance – 70ml per / 15 litre backpack).
Additive – Synertrol Oil 70ml per / 15 litre backpack.
Star jasmine was also noted higher up slope within the property, this was spreading into a creek / drainage gully and appeared to be a good idea to restrict the migration of this ground cover – climbing plant before the infestation continued into the creek gully.
This was sprayed – foliar spray with herbicide Garlon 70ml / 15 litres with Synertrol oil or leaf penetrant.
Running Sheet of Daniel Anderson or Apical - Phone: 0415 617 771 Email: Daniel@apical-bushfire.com.au