The uses of gorse
- Thread starter yesbut
- Start date
in this case it is because we have an open area that we have pallets of drying firewood on.
the gorse around the edge keeps over growing no matter how much i cut it back.
i want to spray the perimeter of the area.
Not always. If you're in the business of re-vegetating, gorse is an excellent nitrogen fixing nurse crop that doesn't smother seedlings which sooner or later overtop the gorse which then gets shaded out. I agree that gorse seedlings in the back lawn don't go well with bare feet...
There was a wonderful book about a woman who bought an acreage of gorse, just out of Akaroa which she successfully revegetated using the existing gorse as she didn't have the heartbeats to remove it, and it proved to be faster than using the usual manuka etc. It was an excellent read name was
Cloud Farm: High On Banks Peninsula by
Cloud Farm: High On Banks Peninsula by
Jane Chetwynd.
We are lucky in golden bay . Even the pine forests turn back into bush here after gorse.
There are some wildling pines but they strugle to compete with the bush .
here we don't get cold enough to put the brakes on gorse. so its rampant. it smothers almost everything.
What about when it gets old and opens out underneath .
Here when that happens the native seed bank germinates and pushes throughthe gorse when it is old .
Here when that happens the native seed bank germinates and pushes throughthe gorse when it is old .
depends on what you call old.
i have heard of blocks of gorse that needed a chain saw to chop the gorse trees down with.
the taller stuff i've dealt with not much grows underneath due to shade.
but most are forestry that end up sprayed out and replanted. most people around here never leave it to grow very old.
Your question was regarding the safety measures required when spraying with Tordon or Grazon. I have extensively used Tordon for the past 30 years. Providing there is no wind blowing the spray onto you then no protective gear is required, BUT in saying this I would recommend using a mask for breathing and goggles. I personally have ingested plenty of Tordon and Round Up over the years and it doesn't seem to have done me any harm, but everybody are different so err on the side of caution. If you are spraying a lot of gorse then I would strongly suggest using a respirator type of breathing mask over a paper disposable type. Cartridges for herbicides can be bought from Protector Safety, Blackwoods, NZ Safety etc.
I was hoping it would kill everything fairly permanently around our firewood drying area .
Everything turns back into bush very quickly here .