Himalayan balsam

mixed breed

Member
Mixed Farmer
Hormones make it very poorly, but must be a bit big now...

What is the situation is it growing in? I used a knapsack and ( I think 2,4D) a couple of years ago which seriously depleted it.
It's about waist hight atm, its been rife in the neighbours wood and the brook banks since i was a kid, but I put some new barb fences last year (two foot from hedge/boundary line) and it's now growing there like fun, I guess the cattle trampled it before and kept it at bay..
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Yes forefront (aminopyralid) does a thorough good job on it , even just flowering.


But How about something with triclopyr in it like grazon pro....


Even looks a lot better if you cut it actually .
 

Montexy

Member
Did a small patch a couple of years ago in a garden, you need to cut it near ground level and then spray the fresh cut straightaway with round up before it seals itself. Dont leave any parts laying around or they will produce new shoots next year.
 

mixed breed

Member
Mixed Farmer
Perhaps I'll stick to my first thought, strimmer with a blade and get it cut before the seed heads explode and then spray any regrowth. Just thought, am i breaking any "rules" using roundup on the two metre margins? This guy's watching me like a hawk :rolleyes:
 

dudders

Member
Location
East Sussex
Pulling it worked well for me - get hardly any each year now. But, as has been said earlier, don't leave any lying on the ground. Amazing how it puts roots down. SBK also does for it, but I still prefer to pull.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Perhaps I'll stick to my first thought, strimmer with a blade and get it cut before the seed heads explode and then spray any regrowth. Just thought, am i breaking any "rules" using roundup on the two metre margins? This guy's watching me like a hawk :rolleyes:

No need to use glyphosate for Himalayan Balsam. I looked into it when I reclaimed a track here, that had had s9me builders rubble levelled in it by a previous tenant...

Pastor/Thistlex kills it effectively, as does strumming it off (or grazing tight) regularly to stop it flowering/seeding. It’s not notifiable, so not sure that your landlord can insist you do much about it legally, but probably best to placate if you want to keep renting there?
it’s pretty easy to control ime, but will take a couple of years for seeds/shoots to give up.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top