On Apr 30, 7:07 pm, "Paddy" wrote:
"K" wrote in message

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"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes

"Paddy" wrote in message
...
Got a patch of land to clear on clifftop prior to sowing with
wildflowers.
At the moment it has some dockens and lots of hogweed. We have stuff for
the dockens but not sure of the hogweed. We have roundup but would like
to
keep the grasses growing to hold the soil surface together. Past years
we
have just cut the hogweed down with a strimmer but been burnt that many
times I would like to clear them for good.
swap male for mail

Treatment with Glyphosate is the recommended way to clear Hogweed. The
problem is that the plants will have produced thousands of seeds which
will
germinate for several seasons. If you can slice through the root structure
underground then you will dampen the plants ardour but they will resprout
with fresh young growth fairly quickly. If you hit this young growth with
Glyphosate the plant will eventually die.
Don't be too impatient because it may take several weeks before you notice
any effect.
A more labour intensive but perhaps quicker solution is to pump weedkiller
directly into the stem at various heights by use of a syringe.

ps. I actually grow this beast as an ornamental plant --just one:-)

Whixh one do you grow, Rupert? Presumably giant hogweed?

The OP didn't say he had giant hogweed, merely hogweed (which itself is
quite large, about 4ft), and doesn't have the skin burning properties of
the giant hogweed. It's a very frequent weed, and people who have merely
seen the giant hogweed scare stories in the newspapers can get needlessly
alarmed by it.

--
Kay

I am not really sure which type of hogweed it is. Looked it up on various
websites and only got confused.
Yes this only grows to about 4 ft or so but it definitley burns, I get
covered with burns on any unprotected areas and they last for weeks.
It's height might be stunted with it being on the clifftop where the soil
will be rather shallow.

Paddy

I stayed beside the river Deveron when I was young, I remember my
sister being burned. the giant Hogweed spreadalong the river, the
solution was cows, it didn't effect them I think they ate it.