Fireweed..I'm just looking it up now. That sounds really nasty.
http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Weeds-and-Garden-Pests/Fireweed/2157

Hmm. here's some pictures, maybe I have seen it. http://www.southeastweeds.org.au/index.pl?page=91

In my battles with the weeds, you can go and read all these things on the 'net, but if you can find a really good agronomist their knowledge is invaluable. They can peice together info of your specific issue, and come up with a tailored solution.

In case anyone from my area's reading, there's a couple of good ones in the ACT. There's a lady at Bellchambers in Fyshwick who really knows about grass, and is good on weeds too. And yesterday I discovered a chap (John, I think his name was) at FAW Building Supplies/CRT in Mitchell, who really knew his weeds and poisons.

Hey Guys,

Sorry it has taken a while to get back to you Ant, but yes, as far as I know, the spray before flowering principle works on nearly everything except for bulbs that are weeds, in which case you don't have much choice but to spray the flowers!

I would say your Patterson's Curse is a reflection of the ground condition by the sound of it. Weed control is a multifaceted issue. I've found that the big job is usually the initial onslaught, after that it comes back to diligently hitting the isolated pockets of seed in the following seasons to help control it further. You also need to find something to out compete the weeds, for our situation that is usually in the form of pasture grasses with limited grazing pressure in the first season or two as well as hitting the odd weed that climbs through the grass canopy. We usually try and get our grass 300 - 400mm in height which tends to smother any weed seedlings. Fire is also another good weed killer providing it is hot enough to boil the sap in the weed stem but not hot enough to kill the grass roots. It's a difficult balance to strike.

Fireweed... arhghgh. Poisonous to livestock and it spreads like wildfire... hence the name. When we see it (marked by it's characteristic yellow flowers) we remove it by hand, put it in sack and take it to a landfill. We are lucky as we have it only pop up in isolated patches from time to time which makes it easy to control. For large infestations, maybe herbicide control could be implemented, but again, you need to hit it before it flowers. Basically I would look for a way to even the playing field and try and out compete it with more desirable pasture grasses. Check out this PDF from the Queensland DPI for a few ideas and a list of registered poisons.

I've been out, wading through the Patto's, spot-spraying the remnant St John's Wort. I am really pleased with last season's kill, there's just the odd spear going up. Some have buds on... and this year I'm hitting them with the mighty Grazon! (last year was roundup).

I love this Grazon stuff, it crisps them within days, and it doesn't harm the grass. I wish it wasn't so expensive though. I'm whacking the briars and blackberries at the same time, since Grazon does woody weeds.

As for the Pattos, I'm defeated this season. But in Winter, when the rosettes start growing (they grow flat to start with), I'm planning to broad-spray with MCPA, which sounds like it's benign for what little grass I've got.

I've tried to establish Phalaris (australia) with no luck whatsoever. It'll grow in ideal situations (ie the garden), but not on my nasty shale. Agronomist suggested Cocksfoot.

MCPA is good but don't use it all the time. Swap around a bit and use Kamba M or Broadside. These are broadleaf selective and very affordable...

Ant for a good kill for pato you need to add Igram with your MCPA. I did add a post back 12-7-2008 with directions.Works great at rosette stage late June here.

I'm a bit iffey about broadspraying Kamba as it attacks tree roots apparently, and I've got several hundred trees growing that we've planted over the years. Ditto metsulfuron, although I've been using a bit of that recently for spot-spraying verbascum and stuff.

That's why the MCPA appealed, it didn't seem so destructive.

Igram, I haven't used that before. This broadspray is going to be a bugger of a job and I'm thinking of resurrecting the homicidal spraycart (has a bigger tank and a battery, but on a steep block it turns into the truck from Duel), so would like to maximise the effects as I don't want to be doing it often. I'll go back and re-read this thread and find your post Alexia.

I have another question. Is there anything that kills both Horehound AND Verbascum?!

so far I'm drawing a blank. Might have to bite the bullet and do 2 separate sprays, worse luck.

Hi ant
On the horehound control it depends on if you have small patches or many of acres of it small patches are very easy ,the cheapest way ive found to do it is a bit of elbow greese and a hoe ive had success with either sprayseed,mcpa,2.4.d esters but in saying that one must hit at the right time or your just wasting it Autumn and spring are ideal times for chemical knockdown,also must use a wetter or a surfactant and completely wet the plant as you will be aware horehound is very difficult to wet..

Thanks, yes I've beeen using sprayseed on the Horehound although you have to hit it at least twice, but the agronomist was horrified to hear I was using it in a backpack. but it doesn't hurt Verbascum.

I figure you'd use MCPA in spring, when the new leaves are growing? But I don't think that hurts Verbascum either. Frustrating stuff, you think you've got it all and then find new colonies thriving.

LOL like the old saying goes

1 years sowing 20 years hoeing

ok does anyone know how to get rid of couch grass once and for all

Send it to me, I'll take any grass I can get, can't even get phalaris to take off.

1 part styrofoam (Bean bag refills are messy but it can be done with them if you can't find any foam packing)
1 part unleaded petrol (DONOT do this on a dry hot day or static electricity could cause it to combust). We did it at night durning winter in North Queensland and had fire fighting equipment on hand, 1500 lire water tank and pump but it wasn't needed.

Mix in a bucket with a wooden stick slowly adding more styrofoam until consistency of clag glue.

Dollop on to the area that you want spot torched.

Stand well back and throw a match at it.

Works a treat on wattle/gum tree suckers as the mixture sticks to the bark and burns for about 7 minutes. Boils the sap and explodes the cell walls effectively killing the roots.

I use 20 litres of this on a 4 acre area that had been infested with suckers and the bloke who owned the property had been trying to burn them out with straight petrol. It only burnt for a minute and didn't do any real damage to the plants. One application 13 years ago and none of them has returned. No damage to the soil and no more suckers.
Also know as poor mans napalm.

Yeah, that's home-made napalm. someone once mentioned using it on a wasps nest and discovered it was not a great plan as burning wasps went flying all over the place.

LOL burning kamakazi wasps. I have used it on green ant nests as well. Just one of the many recipes I was taught on an Advanced Demolitions course many years ago in a military career long since done and dusted.

My late Father and Grandfather both swore by Dieso to get rid of any annoying plant problems. Must have been a different chemical makeup to what is available now as back then you didn't have the EPA wanting to declare a disaster area around the entire property if you spilled so much as a cup full on the ground.

Lord knows what they would have though of the old chinese bloke in PNG who used to use old sump oil on the dirt roads to keep the dust down outside his trade store. Of course it used to make for some interesting boggings in the Wet but the rest of the year it was OK to drive on.

Ant for horehound sprayseed will only burn it off will always come back
esters,mcpa any phenoxys will work as long as correct penetrant/wetter is used and spike it with ALLY

Cooch now roundup is $3.30 a litre 2 litres per ha in summer sometime whilst growing fresh and another 1 litre in march april again correct wetter and plenty of water 80 litres per ha at least

Yep, Farm Weather, you're right about sprayseed. Lovely and fast and devastating, but I'm seeing the same plants peeping up again. I was out with the Grazon a few weeks back, having an early go at the St Johns, and hit some Horehound with that, and the effects were very pleasing, but Grazon's a bit pricy.

I have a big container of MCPA (got it for next winter's Pattos campaign), the wetter I have is some stuff for my mother's apple orchard (I flogged a jar of it).

What's ALLY?!

I'm heading out tonight, I think, with Metsulferon to have a go at the Verbascum. Hit it a month or so back adn it was quite effective, the ones I got aren't sending up rods.

Then it will be teh turn of the Horehound, I've had enough of that stuff.

Thats exacally what im useing 2 litres of roundup + double wetter than a normal rate 70 litres water rate over 300 acre blocks it kills it outright within 3 weeks then i follow up later on but the crap stills comes back im sick of it,has anyone had success in ridding of it for good.
we also have bad caltrop problems over here (bindie eyes) now there also getting a good drop of round up,wetter and ally for the residuel i have no intentions of putting legumes in due to the lean years so ally gets put on at 15gr/ha with double wetter and no more bindies right up till cropping.
we also have bad marshmellow, hammer is good for it but ive since found another product called affinity force is the same thing but cheaper does a excellent job

Ant u can have it free of charge this crap is very hardy and hard to kill ,in no time this rubbish will take over ya place

ok heres a link on ally, i use it for broardleaf control
http://www.agtech.com.au/e-Chemseek/defa...95520&Details=Y