Treating Invasives with Herbicide

[esshup]

I have a Birchmeier Backpack sprayer, but it is the one that uses 2.5 gallon jugs for the "tank". I can have premixed jugs with me away from a water source, and spray all day long.

 

[elric]

Love the Birchmeier build quality. I have thought of foliar spray [2% Glyphosate] but I think that would require more precautions [and carrying pro gear] that would make the long approach marches even more demanding. Cut n paint has minimal soil disturbance and doesn't give much sun and disturbed soil to the seeds around the plant. In addition, cutting the Honeysuckle allows more light and heat to reach the Popple root [and helps the suckers]. The last cut I did was 700m from the road. Young guys would think nothing of it... Looking at a cut 1,500m from the road, got to clear some invasives from a Popple stand. If there's Popple in trouble, dial POPL-911...

Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I can't remember encountering as much Honeysuckle. Now, it's at every site. Black Locust? Only isolated specimens, but I found and reported two clumps of it. Clonal, like Popple, but nasty cone-shaped needles on whippy branches, they sort of wrap around you...

I wondered why the DNR recommended mixing at the spray site, and that goes back to Glyphosate enthusiastically bonding with minerals or even turbid water. The less time it has, the better. For farmers using hundreds of gallons of water, they should test their water to see what it's got, there are some additives to counteract some reactions. Our well water has a lot of lime, but Woodman's supermarket has jugs of cheap distilled water . I add the Glyphosate concentrate directly to my Birchmeier's bottle, screw it back together, then use a pop bottle with the correct amount of distilled water for the mix [plus a little sploosh of marker dye], add it right at the parking lot.