Invasive identification

[Rene Siracusa]

Garlon is very expensive because can only buy five gal. at a time. Look for Ortho Poison Ivy Killer instead. It contains garlon. A pint bottle runs about $13 and you dilute 1/2 c. to 1 gal. water. I use this on both Melasoma, Tibouchina, Clidemia, Strawberry Guava, et al. I make the mixture and then decant into a squeeze bottle, like a dish liquid or shampoo bottle. If the plant is small enough to use a loppers on, apply the herbicide directly to the wound while it is still fresh. For larger plants you can cut down to about a foot off the soil surface and then apply the herbicide. If you don't have a chainsaw or machete, you can strip a girdle of bark off and then apply to the girdled area. Takes a while to fully die back, but in the meantime no viable fruit and no regrowth. This is the method we used with Operation Miconia. Good luck.