how to get rid of one acre of shrubs with poison oak in it? (growing, 2014)
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Hi, I have one acre of land that is full of shrubs. Among them, there is poison oak. The picture shows the different types of plants and shrubs all mixed together.
I would like to get rid of the poison oak. What is the best way? I don't want to use chemicals.
3 pounds (yes, you read right) of salt with 1 gallon of water and 1/4 cup dish soap. It will kill everything. Be sure to do it on a nonwindy/non rainy day. You could also use a vinegar solution with less salt What Kills Poison Ivy?. Do not burn, as someone who is highly allergic, if you burn it, the oils could enter the lungs and cause serious injury not only of you but anyone else around.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthofHere
3 pounds (yes, you read right) of salt with 1 gallon of water and 1/4 cup dish soap. It will kill everything. Be sure to do it on a nonwindy/non rainy day. You could also use a vinegar solution with less salt What Kills Poison Ivy?. Do not burn, as someone who is highly allergic, if you burn it, the oils could enter the lungs and cause serious injury not only of you but anyone else around.
That still requires removal, or waiting for all of that to decompose over as much as a few years. I like the
goat idea from OwlKaMyst. Here we have an over-abundance of wild blackberries and that has led to companies that specialize in that sort of work. We use them on some of our commercial/industrial properties, and there are probably 6-8 providers in the area, but it's even available through Amazon now. Nothing is left when they are done.
As mentioned, you could rent machinery that will rip all that out, but definitely, no burning. Just as you wouldn't burn poison ivy, it could be toxic. Or, rent the goats (just remember if you do, don't pet them, they will have PO on their bodies, my friend get's PI from her cat way too often!)
Was at a mall one time and the hill near the mall was covered with goats - they used them to get rid of the brush, and they did the job!
NORTHOFHERE Any idea of your vinegar/salt concotion will work on wild onions and garlic????
That still requires removal, or waiting for all of that to decompose over as much as a few years. I like the
goat idea from OwlKaMyst. Here we have an over-abundance of wild blackberries and that has led to companies that specialize in that sort of work. We use them on some of our commercial/industrial properties, and there are probably 6-8 providers in the area, but it's even available through Amazon now. Nothing is left when they are done.
Interesting idea about the goat. But mixed in my property's vegetation is this very nasty vine plant with very small thorns. Young vines are soft but old vines looks kind of woody. Will this eliminate the goats as an option?
Interesting idea about the goat. But mixed in my property's vegetation is this very nasty vine plant with very small thorns. Young vines are soft but old vines looks kind of woody. Will this eliminate the goats as an option?
Looks like a wild berry to me. I don't know how picky goats are.
I had a ton of them in parts of my yard, they still pop up here and there, but I can easily pull them out.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57744
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhbj03
Interesting idea about the goat. But mixed in my property's vegetation is this very nasty vine plant with very small thorns. Young vines are soft but old vines looks kind of woody. Will this eliminate the goats as an option?
They are used mostly for wild blackberries, which have nasty thorns. They are eaten flush with the ground.
Your acre is a jungle of various noxious weeds. I see poison oak, dock, thistle, some kind of thorny bramble and other weedy grasses and "stuff". I don't envy you the mess you have to get rid of.
Goats will get rid of what you have there including that bristly bramble vine - check out this list of some of the things rental goats will browse on: http://rentagoat.com/what-do-goats-eat/
But goats can't get what's under the surface, so even if they clear it down to the ground you may still have problems later with all of those things growing back again from the roots and seeds in the ground. For that potential problem maybe you could see if anyone in your location has hogs to rent out. Hogs will till the ground up and dispose of roots.
It's really too bad the poison oak prevents just burning all of it off, but burning that is too hazardous. How frustrating!
Personally, if I was in a big hurry to get all of that stuff out of there (and I would be in a hurry!) I'd hire someone with heavy equipment to come in and mow it all down and then till up all the ground to get the roots dug up and get it all cleaned out of there. And depending on what the acre was going to be used for, I'd likely use an all purpose herbicide afterwards just for good measure.
What do you plan to do with that acre once it's cleared? If you aren't near a stream or watershed and aren't planning to grow anything else on there for a couple of years or so you could try killing everything off with the salt solution. The salt will kill the soil too though and you don't want the runoff getting into your watershed and poisoning that too.
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