webber Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Some time ago I recall reading that Rhododendron was not native to Britain and that shoots and woodlands managers were being encouraged to remove it. Obviously the Rhodies provide valuable cover for pheasants etc. If shoots were to set about ripping out sections of Rhododendron, I wondered what could be used as an alternative. Criteria would be: Native British Bush Provide excellect cover. Ideally produce fruit / berries acceptable to pheasants. If anyone can think of other essential criteria please PM me and I will amend the list. Does anyone has experience of Rhododendron eradication and replacement? webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 The stuff can be a menace when it gets out of hand, excellent cover and shelter for pheasants I agree. Involvment in a shoot for over 40 years which sports an area of rhodys we have found it proves very difficult to cut rides and paths through the intertwined branches, and removal of cut branches is far from easy in these jungles. So great if kept in line , but an impenetrable jungle which is impossible to beat through when allowed to go wild. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delbert Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 I have mixed feelings about Rhodies on one hand they do produce dense durable cover and are loved by bunnies as a refuge. but on the other they will dry the soil under their canopy and almost nothing will grow underneath.If you have only small patches I would leave well alone but and its a big but if they start to spread they will in time overrun pasture so I guess it is unpalatable to sheep and cattle. I should take a photo of a moor in Derbyshire which used to have a couple of banks of Rhodies about 12ft deep and 30 yds long, last time I visited ( I shoot a farm down the valley) the Rhodies were sprouting everywhere across a mile of moorland I can see a spraying regime in the not too distant future. Golden rod ( note there are non native invasive species) is a pretty good cover plant once established the rhizomes produce year on year there is a a decent patch near our duck pond. Alders regenerate quite quickly and form handy small coppices which our few pheasants seem to enjoy. I did try planting Stagshorn on the farm in Derbyshire which grew very well unfortunately the cattle broke down a fence to egt to it and ate the lot including the wood!!. One other thing about Rhodies each time I see a patch I remember 'Scout' my spaniel probably the toughest ESS I have ever seen work ( one of the Millsdrake breed an award winning trials dog ) he loved Rhodies and you could tell where he was by the sound of branches snapping like pistol shots and rabbits bomb-bursting from cover happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Mule Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 (edited) The Rhodies have been found to be a much worse menace than simply their heavy duty cover. The roots harbour/encourage a fungus that kills off virtually every other plant life. This essentially extends the area that is suitable for the Rhodies, but mullers everything else. The folks in the north west of Scotland have been having some real fun getting rid of the stuff as I believe it can take a while for the soil to recover enough to support 'new' plants. I appreciate this may not be what you want to hear, but you may find some advice from those who have been involved in it up there. Edit: Just found this very informative page On a side note: I wonder if the following has anything to do with the problems our bees are having: The general toxicity of Rhododendron to herbivores means that it cannot usually be controlled by grazing. Human poisoning is usually caused by the consumption of honey produced from Rhododendron flowers, resulting in relatively short term intestinal and cardiac problems, it is rarely fatal. Edited November 29, 2009 by Alpha Mule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delbert Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 I have heard about a Rhodie fungus (Phytophthora cinnamom) but it was actually killing off Rhodies in Scotland. I do understand that root secretions form Rhodies do inhibit growth of other plants I'd rotovate the area and add some manure looking at the reasoning it appears phenols are part of the problem so leaving roots in could be a problem grub and burn maybe? http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/rhododen.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boromir Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 The Rhodies have been found to be a much worse menace than simply their heavy duty cover. The roots harbour/encourage a fungus that kills off virtually every other plant life. This essentially extends the area that is suitable for the Rhodies, but mullers everything else. The folks in the north west of Scotland have been having some real fun getting rid of the stuff as I believe it can take a while for the soil to recover enough to support 'new' plants. I appreciate this may not be what you want to hear, but you may find some advice from those who have been involved in it up there. Yes so much annoying this stuff is. We usually have chainsaws and a digger to pile all the wood up and burn it straight away as you leave a branch on the ground and it sprouts roots to grow again. Getting in there with a chainsaw is hard the branches are like intertwinned with each other so you have to cut it out in bunches this is were the minidigger comes in handy. The digger will also gets the stumps out and rake and collect the branches and roots from the ground. After the rhodies have been removed and burnt the ground we have cleared is ****. You will also have to spray the ground once a year for the next 5 years to stop it regrowing as the roots will sprout again. Bracken comes a close second to remove. As to find a native alternative I dont think there is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smig4373 Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Yes so much annoying this stuff is. We usually have chainsaws and a digger to pile all the wood up and burn it straight away as you leave a branch on the ground and it sprouts roots to grow again. Getting in there with a chainsaw is hard the branches are like intertwinned with each other so you have to cut it out in bunches this is were the minidigger comes in handy. The digger will also gets the stumps out and rake and collect the branches and roots from the ground. After the rhodies have been removed and burnt the ground we have cleared is ****. You will also have to spray the ground once a year for the next 5 years to stop it regrowing as the roots will sprout again. Bracken comes a close second to remove. As to find a native alternative I dont think there is. RUBBISH.....Cut it down at give all the stumps a dam good dose of roundup....Been doing that for years on the China clay tips of Cornwall with great effect... Rhododendron ponticum is the invasive weed variety.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boromir Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 RUBBISH.....Cut it down at give all the stumps a dam good dose of roundup....Been doing that for years on the China clay tips of Cornwall with great effect... Rhododendron ponticum is the invasive weed variety.... How? Yes we do spray the stumps but when you get a Laird saying he wants EVERYTHING removed ASAP we are not going to leave stumps in the ground for him to see. Roundup kills Everything not just Rhodies and you got to use the right dosage, to little and does nothing, to much you'll be wasting money. And tell me smig what do you do with the Branches you have cut out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smig4373 Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 (edited) How? Yes we do spray the stumps but when you get a Laird saying he wants EVERYTHING removed ASAP we are not going to leave stumps in the ground for him to see. Roundup kills Everything not just Rhodies and you got to use the right dosage, to little and does nothing, to much you'll be wasting money. And tell me smig what do you do with the Branches you have cut out? Through the chipper....Why.......And i know round-up kills everything...Thats why i said just put it on the stumps...But i assume you know that round-up is bi-active glysophate...and does not work after it's come in to contact with soils...And as you have already said...Nothing else grows under rhododedron so it's not really an issue getting it on anything else.......is it.??.... Where talking about killing them off on a pit tip...No need to make it look nice.... in other words BFG...you do it your way...And ill do it the easy way.. Edited November 29, 2009 by smig4373 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boromir Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Through the chipper....Why.......And i know round-up kills everything...Thats why i said just put it on the stumps...But i assume you know that round-up is bi-active glysophate...and does not work after it's come in to contact with soils...And as you have already said...Nothing else grows under rhododedron so it's not really an issue getting it on anything else.......is it.??.... Where talking about killing them off on a pit tip...No need to make it look nice.... in other words BFG...you do it your way...And ill do it the easy way.. Im not saying that your way is wrong did I? We use different methods for the different terrain and situations we have. One method is Just spray the rhodies with roundup another way is smigs way cut, spray and chip and my way cut digg and burn it out and spray when the sprouts grow. No need to make it look nice but burning it is cheaper than hiring out a chipper dont you agree? and depending on the ground could he take the chipper to the material he is cutting down? Glysophate yes the bacteria in the ground breaks it down. Look found a website both our ways is not 100% kill rate but still the best methods http://www.woodlandsofireland.com/docs/No%...5D._3_Rhodo.pdf. Got to think though webber probably want to spend as little as possable unless he can get a grant form English nature or something. Yeah spend money on hiring a digger but a digger can do the job of like 20 people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smig4373 Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Im not saying that your way is wrong did I? We use different methods for the different terrain and situations we have. One method is Just spray the rhodies with roundup another way is smigs way cut, spray and chip and my way cut digg and burn it out and spray when the sprouts grow. No need to make it look nice but burning it is cheaper than hiring out a chipper dont you agree? and depending on the ground could he take the chipper to the material he is cutting down? Glysophate yes the bacteria in the ground breaks it down. Look found a website both our ways is not 100% kill rate but still the best methods http://www.woodlandsofireland.com/docs/No%...5D._3_Rhodo.pdf. Got to think though webber probably want to spend as little as possable unless he can get a grant form English nature or something. Yeah spend money on hiring a digger but a digger can do the job of like 20 people. Agree'd.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted November 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Thanks gents, looks like we've sorted the getting rid bit. The Irish web site was very informative. What we now need to address is what do we replace the Rhodie with? webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boromir Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Thanks gents, looks like we've sorted the getting rid bit. The Irish web site was very informative. What we now need to address is what do we replace the Rhodie with? webber I cant think of anything that can provide good cover like the rhodies does. could try gorse but the beaters wont like that. Oh i forgot to mention when cutting the rhodies out if you get big branches cut them into logs they make good firewood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyr8 Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 put lime down to discourage them.in parts of wales and scotland it,s up there with jap weed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 (edited) A good way to kill rodies with roundup is to drill a few holes 6 inches into the stem and fill with neat roundup. It will kill the main plant and any connected suckers within a year. juniper might make a good replacement. Its native and birds love the berries. Edited November 29, 2009 by anser2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.