Spiny Emex removal

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Jason_H, Dec 13, 2018.

  1. Jason_H

    Jason_H Member

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    We have about half an acre of spiny emex (double gee) on our farm, which I have fenced off from stock. I'm looking for eradication methods that also remove the seed from the soil surface. I have heard spraying everythinh with diesel will kill the seed but I was looking for something a bit more environmentally friendly than that.

    Thanks,
    Jason
     
  2. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Jason,
    I'm wondering whether flame weeding prior to setting seed would work: https://flameengineering.com/pages/flame-weeding-101
    Since spiny emex is an annual, and this bit: "At the end of the plant's life, the root dries up and pulls the seeds at the base of the stem into the ground." from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emex_spinosa it seems that flaming the plant before the seeds set would work, although it would need to be repeated until the seed bank in the soil was depleted.
     
  3. Jason_H

    Jason_H Member

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    Yes flame weeding might work, might even kill the prickles left on the soil surface. But unfortunately that's not an option here during summer due to bushfire risk. It's something i could consider in autumn before sowing a pasture mix in the ashes.
     
  4. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    do you have access to equipment like a dozer/plow/backhoe?

    if so you can figure out the depth to bury the seeds where they won't sprout,
    dig a deep trench and scrape the topsoil into that and then bury it deep enough.

    that should remove a lot of it and then reseed with a mix of cover crops and
    keep a close eye on it for any remaining weeds that try to get going again.

    of course you want to remove them before they can drop seeds.

    i'm not sure if you can gather any seeds off the surface by dragging an old
    cotton sheet or strips/ropes across it and then compost that or bury it deeply
    enough (using a natural fiber like cotton or hemp :) ). also perhaps smashing
    the seeds will make them non-viable and more compostable or putting them
    in a bucket with some dirt and plenty of water to encourage them to rot...

    when i was living in Tennessee i used to swim at a reservoir there and the
    sandy beach was infested with burrs. i spent some time removing those
    and some other hazards i found there (glass, sharp rocks, metal cans)...
    i always like to do stuff like this when i have time because i think it important
    to take care of this place we call home. :)
     
  5. Jason_H

    Jason_H Member

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    It's been reported that buying them a couple inches or deeper results in the prickles being unable to germinate. It's something I'm considering but only as a last resort as the weeds are on a moderate slope and I don't want to encourage erosion. Thanks for the ideas.

    Jason
     

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