Thrashing weeds... tools?

[MisterBoy]

We have a local infestation of Himalayan Balsam, an invasive annual weed which grows up to about 6 feet tall and has a rigid but delicate fleshy stem a bit like cow parsely which is easily cut with the flick of a knife or a strimmer.

I have a large area to get to which is hard work with a strimmer. I only need to knock off the tops with the flowers so I picture something long and thin and whippy could be really effective to give me a good reach and work quickly. Almost like a riding crop sort of deal.

Is there a gardening tool designed for this - I feel like I've seen something but can't remember the name? Or something I could find/make? A bit of wood would work but far too heavy on the wrists.

(And no, it's not a notifyable weed around here and the council have no interest in dealing with it! I am keeping it off my property but also going to beat it back from a stream on my boundary as far as I can get/be bothered)

 

[lostinthelight]

I cut the head of a golf club,a driver is the longest.
Its brilliant for swishing off fleshy weeds , I use mostly on bracken and also for probing for mole runs to set traps

 

[diytry20]

You could put a long piece of line in the strimmer so it covers a bigger area? Just have to be careful.

I recently purchased a MAC ALLISTER MGTP1000 really powerful for the money.

 

[JohnD]

some petrol-driven tools have a sort of circular saw rather than a bit of string.

i think clearing the material you have cut off will be more work than cutting it. if you spray it with weedkiller beforehand it will be easier and lighter to cart away.

 

[MisterBoy]

some petrol-driven tools have a sort of circular saw rather than a bit of string.

i think clearing the material you have cut off will be more work than cutting it. if you spray it with weedkiller beforehand it will be easier and lighter to cart away.

It's a stream bed so chemicals are a no no. These flowers have explosive seed pods causing then to spread like crazy... I literally need to decapitate them only before they seed and leave then to die back in winter, I think.

Avoid killing all the other plants, etc. The golf club sounds the sort of thing to be honest

 

[lostinthelight]

The golf club sounds the sort of thing to be honest

I don't think you'll be disappointed, because its so light you get tremendous speed at the tip which slices through stuff

 

[MisterBoy]

Just got to find one...

I'm still sure you can buy a gardening product on these lines but damned if I can find it!

 

[Toria J]

Scythe or sickle?

 

[lostinthelight]

Just got to find one

place a wanted ad on freecycle ,FB , Gumtree,etc
Until I hit on golf club shaft I used second or third year Hazel stick like the thinner end if a bean stick.Bamboo cane or glass fibre fishing rod?
Edit: Ive not used one
https://www.springfields.co.uk/lash...h6yo17IEtURJ1MiNkgOh8jmsDsWGKNrhoCf2AQAvD_BwE

 

[conny]

If you decide to decapitate them I think you would need to remove all of them to prevent them spreading further. Just leaving them to rot on the ground will possibly allow them to re-germinate and grow more next year.
How about a hand sickle, (like on the old Russian flag),?

 

[MisterBoy]

If you decide to decapitate them I think you would need to remove all of them to prevent them spreading further. Just leaving them to rot on the ground will possibly allow them to re-germinate and grow more next year.
How about a hand sickle, (like on the old Russian flag),?

Do you mean from flowers, or from the plant/root? I am planning to get them before they go to seed - if you wait until they are in seed then disturbing them will make it worse! And I thought (though I'm no expert) that since they are annuals the plant does completely and only survives by reseeding - hence if I stop them flowering they can grow as much as they want this year but won't return next year?

 

[lostinthelight]

Do you mean from flowers, or from the plant/root? I am planning to get them before they go to seed - if you wait until they are in seed then disturbing them will make it worse! And I thought (though I'm no expert) that since they are annuals the plant does completely and only survives by reseeding - hence if I stop them flowering they can grow as much as they want this year but won't return next year?

In theory youll need break the cycle for two years. Even if you stop every plant from seeding this year the seeds in the soil from last year will still germinate as the seed will still be viable .

 

[conny]

It's a myth that ALL seeds will not germinate if you get them before seeding. If they have begun to develop in the plant head, but not actually showing, they can continue to grow when they are laying on/in the ground. Something to do with retaining or gaining nutrients from the surrounding foliage of the 'mother' plant which can stay moist if it rains or lands on damp ground. This is why you should always burn weeds and not throw them on a compost heap. As lostinthelight says, you have to break the cycle and it can be a tough battle to do so.

 

[MisterBoy]

Good points. In this case even attacking the plants is a big job, but I see it as more a maintenence thing anyway - however far I remove the weeds they will still be there at the boundary and will march back even if I get all of them in my 'combat zone'. If I can get most of them this year I can hopefully keep on top. i.e. no eradication, but management. Bit like Covid!

 

[conny]

I had a similar problem with nettles in the meadow next to my garden. Asked the farmer for permission to tackle them and he said go for it. I now look after a strip about 4 metres wide on the other side of my fence by mowing it every couple of weeks. It's taken 2 or 3 years but now I get very little grow back and the farmer can cultivate his crops closer to the border.