Small Scale Invasive Plant Control with Herbicide

Since landowners frequently use herbicides in much smaller quantities than companies and organizations, it can be challenging to find products in the size you need.  Benna Tate gave several suggestions for landowners looking for small scale supplies.
 

• Wal-mart’s online has an 8 oz. bottle of Thistledown (Clopyralid) and a 16 oz. bottle of surfactant. They shipped from suppliers Colorado's Choice Nursery and Dibbs Farms, respectively.
• Dollar tree has an automotive oil-change pan that works well as a drip guard. It is large enough and deep enough to use as a catch basin when mixing from smaller bottles.
• I used disposable shot glasses from Kroger form my measuring cups. Of course they are not calibrated, so the night before I sprayed, I put water in the cups in the required amounts for each chemical, and marked the fluid level with a sharpie. I also labeled each little cup with the chemical and amount so there was no thinking required while in the field. (I did this at the same time I prepared the masking tape mixing notes).
• Dyes for clothing and food aren't intense enough for herbicide use. There is Lazer Blue herbicide dye at Rural King; they have a one-quart bottle available in the Bloomington store.
• I only needed a 2-gallon sprayer, so I started with a Roundup sprayer and was disappointed when I tested it. It leaked from several places, did not have a pressure release valve, and was not compatible with Clopyralid (acid). I had good results talking to the manufacturer, The Fountainhead Group. Based on my project size and chemical, they were able to recommend a Smith Contractor Acid Compression Sprayer and where it was available. That is the sprayer I used.

Do you have other suggestions for landowners looking for small-scale solutions to herbicide control? Let us know! Email us at [email protected]