herbicide for soda apples?

[flbullrider]

Does there exist some kind of magic, "targeted" herbicide spray which will kill soda apples but not the grasses around it?

Aside from pullin' em by hand, I can't think of a good way of gettin' rid of em without being worried I'll either kill the forage or the cows.

Monsanto's RoundUp WeatherMAX makes some great claims, if applied 8-11 oz/acre, it will supress weeds but not hurt the grasses, and no waiting period is required between treatment and grazing.

Anybody use this stuff for weed control?

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

 

[flbullrider]

I called Monsanto and as I suspected the 8-11oz dose wouldn't be very effective for perennial weeds. It mainly just supresses 'em at the beginning of the season.

To get rid of mature weeds, they recommend spot treating using a 1% mixture (for the WeatherMAX product). Caution: this dose WILL kill the grass (or any broadleaf it touches)!

I also found this interesting: according to the Monsanto guy, RoundUp *BY ITSELF* is very safe and won't hurt the cows. BUT the weeds produce toxins as they are dying. So they recommend no grazing for 2 weeks after application to ensure the vegetation is completely dead and dried out, at which point there are no risks.

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

 

[Chuckie]

When he was talking about the weed giving off toxins when dying, was he refering to the soda apples or most weeds? I am not sure that I have ever seen a soda apple.
I had always heard that Round Up wouldn't hurt cattle, but never thought about the weed dying creating toxins. That would leave a lot of time for the weed to be out there since Round Up kills slowly by keeping a plant from manufacturing chlorophyll. It takes it a while to use up what it already has stored in it's system.

 

[txag]

i didn't know what a "soda apple" was & a quick search found this website from the University of Florida. from this site, it looks like your choices are Remedy or Roundup.

http://tsa.ifas.ufl.edu/control.htm

 

[MrBilly]

Here is what the U of Fla recommends on their Soda Apple website:http://tsa.ifas.ufl.edu/control_dense.htm

I think Grazon works also, but they are recommending Remedy.

Billy

Controlling Dense Infestations of Tropical Soda Apple
(aka - Solanum Viarum)

Dense Infestations
Pastures with dense stands of TSA (areas where it is not practical to spray individual plants) should be mowed to a 3 inch stubble height as soon as possible to keep plants from producing fruit.

Repeat mowing when plants reach the flowering stage (every 50-60 days) through April. Fifty to 60 days after the April mowing, when plant regrowth is at the first flower stage (late May-June), spray the following herbicide:

SINGLE APPLICATION:
1. Remedy® at 1.0 quart/acre (1 lb/acre) + 0.10%-0.25% non ionic surfactant in 40 GPA.
Follow-up the broadcast application with spot treatments (see below) for control of escape plants and new plants from seed. Check pastures monthly for 1-2 years (except during the summer) and spray all new TSA seedling plants. Do not allow plants to produce fruit!!

Research results indicate a single application of Remedy® at 1.0 quart will result in 90-95% control. Furthermore, limited control of TSA will occur from mowing alone. A single mowing will provide 15% control, 2 mowings will give 50-60% control and 3 mowings will result in 80% control. However, mowing alone will not result in 100% control.
General Control
Sparse Infestations


They list researchers on the site you could speak with.

 

[flbullrider]

When he was talking about the weed giving off toxins when dying, was he refering to the soda apples or most weeds? I am not sure that I have ever seen a soda apple.
I had always heard that Round Up wouldn't hurt cattle, but never thought about the weed dying creating toxins. That would leave a lot of time for the weed to be out there since Round Up kills slowly by keeping a plant from manufacturing chlorophyll. It takes it a while to use up what it already has stored in it's system.

Apparently how RoundUp works causes any "dying" plant to produce toxins which kill it. I got the impression from the tech support guy it isn't just the soda apple, but anything the chemical is applied to.

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

 

[Chuckie]

I pulled up the site that txag listed. I found some pictures and I think we might have a cousin to the soda apple. It is smaller and has thorns. The fruit is smaller than cherry tomatoes, and the fruit is greenish yellow with faded stripes that run from the stem to the blossom end. The leaves look like the same. Ours grow around 10" tall. I haven't seen one in a few years though.

 

[flaboy]

Does there exist some kind of magic, "targeted" herbicide spray which will kill soda apples but not the grasses around it?

Aside from pullin' em by hand, I can't think of a good way of gettin' rid of em without being worried I'll either kill the forage or the cows.

Monsanto's RoundUp WeatherMAX makes some great claims, if applied 8-11 oz/acre, it will supress weeds but not hurt the grasses, and no waiting period is required between treatment and grazing.

Anybody use this stuff for weed control?

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

Hey bullrider, I tried Roundup on the Soda Apples. It didn't work very well even when sprayed directly on the plant. I had to treat them two times with Roundup. I used Remedy and Prosecutor with direct application. I found Proscecutor to work the best. It takes about two weeks. The problem is it will kill the grass if sprayed directly like I did mixed at about 3-4 ounces/gal. If you have to do several acres this application method probably won't work. I use a hand sprayer and a 4 wheeler. Also if after the plant dies, if you don't get the fruit picked up they will come right back. 200-400 seeds in each fruit.

This is one reason when bringing stock onto your farm you should keep them in a small manageable area for about two days. Then if they have brought you a present you have a much smaller area to worry about.

There are also two types of Soda Apples. One is the green/yellow one and the other is the red which looks like the cherry tomato. We have the biggest problem here in FLA with the yellow/green one. Oh, and the needles will go right through a pair of leather gloves like you didn't have them on.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Remedy or a shovel. And if you use the shovel make sure you get the roots and tote the apples with you. I bought some round bales last winter and now i see soda apple coming in all around the area I was feeding it. If you don't get it the cows or birds will eat the apples and spread the dang stuff. Bushhog does nothing but piss the stuff off.

 

[flbullrider]

Hey bullrider, I tried Roundup on the Soda Apples. It didn't work very well even when sprayed directly on the plant. I had to treat them two times with Roundup. I used Remedy and Prosecutor with direct application. I found Proscecutor to work the best. It takes about two weeks. The problem is it will kill the grass if sprayed directly like I did mixed at about 3-4 ounces/gal. If you have to do several acres this application method probably won't work. I use a hand sprayer and a 4 wheeler. Also if after the plant dies, if you don't get the fruit picked up they will come right back. 200-400 seeds in each fruit.

This is one reason when bringing stock onto your farm you should keep them in a small manageable area for about two days. Then if they have brought you a present you have a much smaller area to worry about.

There are also two types of Soda Apples. One is the green/yellow one and the other is the red which looks like the cherry tomato. We have the biggest problem here in FLA with the yellow/green one. Oh, and the needles will go right through a pair of leather gloves like you didn't have them on.

Thanks for the advice, and just in time - I was just about to buy some RoundUp. Sounds like I ought just get off my lazy butt and dig em up...

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

 

[Beefy]

are you sure they are tropical soda apple weeds and not just plain ol' horse nettle?

 

[flaboy]

are you sure they are tropical soda apple weeds and not just plain ol' horse nettle?

Well here is a TSA plant. Pretty easy to tell.