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Eradicate Ragwort at the ‘cabbage’ stageLatrobe City’s Pest Plant Coordinator, Peter Steller, has urged rural and rural residential property owners to tackle any infestations of Ragwort on their properties at the rosette or ‘cabbage’ stage. By Latrobe City Council - 20th August 2003 - Back to News Mr Steller said there were great advantages in using weed control methods on Ragwort before paddock growth took off, as the weeds were easy to identify among short-cropped pasture, and could be eliminated using far less spray than if left to mature.
"Senecio jacobaea or Ragwort as it’s better known is a perennial plant (sometimes annual) that can reproduce from seeds, crowns and roots, making it one of the most troublesome weeds in the Latrobe Valley," Mr Steller explained.
"The plant has a reddish to purple base, with single or multiple stems with bright yellow Daisy like flowers in summer. At this time of the year only the rosette will have grown, and can be identified by its dark to mid green leaves that are paler on the underside, The leaves are wrinkly, divided and can be up to 35 cm long. Sometimes the young leaves can be covered in hairs that look similar to a cobweb," Mr Steller said.
"Now is the best time to spray Ragwort for a number of good reasons. One is the size of the plant - a lot less herbicide is needed to treat the low to the ground rosette, than the up-to-a-metre tall adult plant. Also, the closer to the ground you spray, the less spray drift will occur," Mr Steller said.
"There are 100 herbicides registered for use on Ragwort. At the rosette or ‘cabbage’ stage most broad leaf herbicides will be effective, but as the plant matures most of them become less effective, and a harsher chemical less suitable for general use must be used," he advised.
"The best time for systemic herbicides to work is when the treated plant is actively growing, this moves the poison around the vascular system of the plant in the shortest time. Last of all some people leave the treatment of Ragwort too late. As the plant matures the herbicides take longer to work, and the seeds can still ripen and disperse after the pest has been treated," he said.
John Cahill, Chairperson of the Wirilda Park Management Committee, said an average sized Ragwort plant produces sixty to seventy thousand seeds but a large plant can produce as many as a quarter of a million.
"Though the great majority of seed falls within the immediate area of the parent plant, because such a vast number of seeds are produced, the amount which becomes airborne and travels for long distances is large. It means that in the right conditions seed can be carried several kilometres affecting other farming properties and even native vegetation reserves," Mr Cahill said.
Yallourn/Tyers Landcare member and Wirilda volunteer, Arthur Aitken, said there were a number of good reasons for eradicating Ragwort from land. "Firstly, it is poisonous to grazing animals. Cattle, horses and pigs are most susceptible. However, it also competes strongly with more desirable plant species and reduces pasture productivity," Mr Aitken explained.
Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss, said that at one stage Ragwort had been very difficult to control in the Strzeleckis, and settlers had even abandoned parts of the ‘heartbreak hills’ as the massive task of weed control together with low produce prices made farming untenable. "We now have herbicides that can control the weed, but it is up to all land managers to remain vigilant and eradicate it from their own properties so that it doesn’t spread to others," Cr Middlemiss said.
Mr Steller said that advice on what herbicide to use for eradication should be sought from agricultural supply specialists. "Always read the product label and follow all label instructions carefully before using any herbicide," Mr Steller added.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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