09-02-2010, 10:56 AM
I, too, have been battling strawberry guava on my farm for years, and after trying lots of different approaches this is the one I like best: (1) seedlings I pull and leave to dry out.
(2) saplings I lop as flush to the soil level as possible, and then treat the freshly cut stump with a few drops of Ortho poison ivy killer (1/2 c. to 1 gal. water)administered from a squeeze bottle (dishwashing liquid or shampoo). This method uses much less herbicide than spraying on new leaves and is very effective.It also gives you better control - no herbicide sprayed in the air to breathe in or going on desireable plants.
(3) trees I girdle and apply the herbicide to the girdled area, so the tree uptakes it and spreads it to the fruit - only do this part when the fruit is very small and green - don't want birds eating the poisoned fruit.
I pick a small infested area and do the trees first so they won't drop any more seeds; then follow up with the seedlings and saplings. Once the area is clear I never have to go back to it again, and can move on to another spot.
(2) saplings I lop as flush to the soil level as possible, and then treat the freshly cut stump with a few drops of Ortho poison ivy killer (1/2 c. to 1 gal. water)administered from a squeeze bottle (dishwashing liquid or shampoo). This method uses much less herbicide than spraying on new leaves and is very effective.It also gives you better control - no herbicide sprayed in the air to breathe in or going on desireable plants.
(3) trees I girdle and apply the herbicide to the girdled area, so the tree uptakes it and spreads it to the fruit - only do this part when the fruit is very small and green - don't want birds eating the poisoned fruit.
I pick a small infested area and do the trees first so they won't drop any more seeds; then follow up with the seedlings and saplings. Once the area is clear I never have to go back to it again, and can move on to another spot.