What kills cane grass

[Seeb]

I have about a 1/4 acre of the stuff and I have burned up a couple weed wacker on it so far, it’s taken a couple years for it to creep in on me. An excavator maybe the only way but was looking for options

[ElysianWort]

Okay 1/4 acre might be too much for o'o bar work.

My neighbor rented a backhoe for about $400 last month. You could probably scrape that quarter acre area of dirt and there would be nothing left for the grass to grow on.

I gotta say, that canegrass is the most nasty stuff. There are tiny hairs all over the grass that is an irritant. They get on your skin and itch. They become airborne and you breathe some and wheeze and cough.

Good luck Seeb. All that being said, it's a good reason to nip that stuff in the bud, don't ever let it get started on your place.

[Durian Fiend]

quote:

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Originally posted by ElysianWort

Good luck Seeb. All that being said, it's a good reason to nip that stuff in the bud, don't ever let it get started on your place.

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Yeah, it's the worst. It does dig up fairly easily but if you don't get it all then it comes right back and continues to spread.

[Clayjacks]

I’ve had success with a brush cutter, waiting a week(ish), then
using 2,4-d in a backpack sprayer early morning (no breeze).

[spencerw]

shade is an answer to kill the grass. its a early succession pioneer. grows, creates biomass, trees come in and shade it and makes the habitat more unfavorable for the sun loving grasses. grasses become weak in the shade and could easily be pulled out, or just keep on mulching with it until it runs of of energy.
sickle your way into a patch of it (wearing pants gloves and long sleeve of course. cut the clumps as low to the ground as can. plant some very fast growing trees that create dense shade between the clumps; kukui, ice cream bean, you could even use our invasive trees, gunpowder, and cecropia (youll want to plant multiple trees per patch). then use your cut materials as mulch, if you put the tops of the grass directly on the ground you can put the stocks on top of that and they are less likely to root. you could also use a flail mower to chop it up nicely, and creating more mulch. then your maintenance until your trees are large enough to create shade would just be come in and re-cut the clumps of grass low, and add that biomass around your trees creating more mulch and organic matter which will break down and turn into nutrient rich soil.
a little maintenance will go a long way. no need for poison, the original clearing will be the most time intensive but after that regular maintenance will not be too difficult. this way youre just adding more and more to your system and not taking out/wasting any of your hard earned biomass. - tips for working with nature

[ElysianWort]

a little maintenance will go a long way. no need for poison

I like your method spencerw! Different from how I do it but the important part is italicized and blue above.

[tada]

I must be doing something wrong. I have podacarpus seedlings planted 3 years ago that's almost 1 foot now?? The kukui nut seedlings I planted 6 months ago are about that high. I planted some sugar cane 6 months ago that are 7 feet high now. Pretty soon won't be able to tell it from the weeds.

[ElysianWort]

I don't see your point Tada. Is there one?

Is that a question?

[tada]

My point is it's frustrating to try to grow tree seedlings as a method of weed control when the weeds growing so much faster than the trees and maybe even smothering the seedlings on the papaya farm in Kona bought 4 years ago. Though I have planted some faster growing eucalyptus and ironwood because when they mature they repel weeds with a nice impenetrable layer of leaves that's nice and hypo allergenic to sit on. But only 5 of these trees surviving with my 90% attrition rate. I have a nice a foot high avocado tree and planted more seeds. So we see what they look like when I go back since I'm only there 2 months a year.

I'm so desperate for more trees I planning to sweep up the mess the monkeypod trees shed every spring and lay it down on the perimeter of the property. In Honolulu they have sprawling monkeypod trees make a nice centerpiece on an expanse of green lawn. In Kona some monkeypod below Kealakehe High school on the new Ane K highway.


I'm planning for the future growing trees. It's going to be beautiful. I hope I live long enough to see it??

[kalianna]

If you're growing these trees in Kona it could be they're not getting enough water. Do they depend solely on rain water? Do they get fertilizer? Growing in absentia is difficult, especially with young plants. The weeds are local and thrive in that environment. Podacarpus and eucalyptus are not exactly indigenous to this island.