controlling kosters curse

[terracore]

The kosters curse on our property is getting out of hand.  The goats and sheep don't like it and it's stems are machete resistant.

Anybody have control tips?

[eightfingers2.0]

I hit with Roundup. Problem is birds eat the berries and spread the seeds from other vacant lots. It’s an ongoing battle.

[kalianna]

I never knew that's what that terrible weed was called until I googled it. Yeah, nasty stuff. We had a bunch coming through the fence from our neighbor's weed-ridden yard. I cut off the tips with seeds and over time, the uluhe fern has crowded it out. Almost gone now.

[taropatch]

That one's not that hard to get rid of. If the trunk is 3/8" or less I hand pull. If its stubborn, I loosen the base at the soil with a few strikes from pick. Thicker ones you can lop at the 4-6" level and treat with your stump killer. I use Ortho Poison Ivy. Split open the little stump a bit with your hatchet to let the herbicide get in better.

[MarkP]

Stuff like that I have resigned myself to hand treating with no forseeable end in sight. If small I try to pull it, otherwise I use round-up, either on the leaves or on the cut stump.

[terracore]

Better late than never. Here's my experience.

Roundup: Works pretty good, fast but indiscriminate.
Milestone: No effect.
Crossbow: Slow death. But death.
Cover it (like with a tarp): Very effective, but impractical for large areas. Same goes for pulling it out.

I don't like using roundup for a lot of reasons but one of the big ones is that it's not a selective herbicide. AKA potential collateral damage. Crossbow is selective and effective, and not nearly as persistent as Milestone (which doesn't work in this case anyways). It's also labeled for unrestricted use in livestock pastures (except pregnant/lactating) after it's dried. We don't use it in our paddocks, but it's reassuring to know this.

Crossbow works by mimicking the plant growth hormone auxin. It causes uncontrolled growth in susceptible plants, leading to their eventual death by disrupting normal cell division and growth processes. This is not a fast process with kosters curse so it takes patience. It might be faster by decreasing dilution but I'm not in a hurry.

[Durian Fiend]

Better late than never.  Here's my experience.

Roundup:  Works pretty good, fast but indiscriminate.
Milestone: No effect.
Crossbow:  Slow death.  But death.
Cover it (like with a tarp):  Very effective, but impractical for large areas.  Same goes for pulling it out.

I don't like using roundup for a lot of reasons but one of the big ones is that it's not a selective herbicide.  AKA potential collateral damage.  Crossbow is selective and effective, and not nearly as persistent as Milestone (which doesn't work in this case anyways).  It's also labeled for unrestricted use in livestock pastures (except pregnant/lactating) after it's dried.  We don't use it in our paddocks, but it's reassuring to know this.

Crossbow works by mimicking the plant growth hormone auxin. It causes uncontrolled growth in susceptible plants, leading to their eventual death by disrupting normal cell division and growth processes.  This is not a fast process with kosters curse so it takes patience.  It might be faster by decreasing dilution but I'm not in a hurry.

How do you apply the crossbow? 

This plant is easy to kill with a mower until it gets larger.  Then you can either dig/pull it out or cut flush to the ground for ease of mowing in the future.

[terracore]

Better late than never.  Here's my experience.

Roundup:  Works pretty good, fast but indiscriminate.
Milestone: No effect.
Crossbow:  Slow death.  But death.
Cover it (like with a tarp):  Very effective, but impractical for large areas.  Same goes for pulling it out.

I don't like using roundup for a lot of reasons but one of the big ones is that it's not a selective herbicide.  AKA potential collateral damage.  Crossbow is selective and effective, and not nearly as persistent as Milestone (which doesn't work in this case anyways).  It's also labeled for unrestricted use in livestock pastures (except pregnant/lactating) after it's dried.  We don't use it in our paddocks, but it's reassuring to know this.

Crossbow works by mimicking the plant growth hormone auxin. It causes uncontrolled growth in susceptible plants, leading to their eventual death by disrupting normal cell division and growth processes.  This is not a fast process with kosters curse so it takes patience.  It might be faster by decreasing dilution but I'm not in a hurry.

How do you apply the crossbow? 

This plant is easy to kill with a mower until it gets larger.  Then you can either dig/pull it out or cut flush to the ground for ease of mowing in the future.

Dilute and spray.  I tried applying it full-strength to the cut stem (similar to what one would do with guava) and it didn't work.  The trick with using Crossbow is that it's not a one-size-fits-all herbicide, some plants require a different dilution (or more than one application) to work, and of course it's recommended to start at the smallest application and work your way up.

[kalianna]

Iʻm wondering what happens to the seeds using any of the above treatments. Are they still viable or are they poisoned too? And birds love them. Will it hurt the birds?

[terracore]

Iʻm wondering what happens to the seeds using any of the above treatments.  Are they still viable or are they poisoned too?  And birds love them.  Will it hurt the birds?

Crossbow is not a pre-emergent herbicide, so it will not affect seeds that are already developed.  It may prevent a treated plant from producing seeds but that really depends on when it's applied and how fast it kills the plant.  The best way to address this concern is to only apply it to plants that aren't in a seed-producing season or cycle.

Whether or not it harms the birds is a matter of perspective.  It's generally agreed that glyphosate may cause harm to humans but they are still spraying it on our food.  Regardless of whether or not we know the chemicals affect the birds, killing the kosters curse removes a food source for the birds, and it's possible that negatively affects them.  But then the perspective thing comes in... in what ways does Kosters Curse harm the birds? The berries are edible by humans but are considered toxic to goat, sheep, and other animals.

"Ecological Impact on Animals

Habitat Alteration: Koster’s Curse forms dense thickets that can smother pastures, plantations, and native vegetation, reducing habitat and food resources for native wildlife. This indirect impact can be more significant than direct toxicity, as it disrupts ecosystems and biodiversity.

Seed Dispersal: The plant’s seeds are spread by fruit-eating birds, feral pigs, and other animals, which consume the berries. While this indicates that the fruit is not immediately toxic to these species, the long-term ecological damage caused by the plant’s spread can negatively affect animal populations.

3. Biosecurity and Control Measures
Biosecurity Risks: Koster’s Curse is listed among the “100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species” due to its environmental and economic impacts. Its seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 12 years, making control difficult."

So Kosters Curse smothers native food sources and ecosystems birds require, and offers up it's own berries as replacement.  I'm no biologist, but it seems like it's reducing diversity of the flora, and therefore their diet. Short-term, Crossbow is probably bad for the birds because it interrupts their food source, but part of a longer-term management process, it's probably better for them.  Perspective.