What are your experiences with poison hemlock on your property? Please let us know! If you need help identifying poison hemlock in the rosette stage watch this video: th-cam.com/video/fBUvx_Mtbp0/w-d-xo.html
Great info and follow-up video! Will add it to my arsenal next time I walk our property. I usually pull it by hand when I see it around the house, but not on the farm. Would love to hear more on understanding herbicide labels.
Im so glad i came across this video! I thought i had a sweet cicily plant in my raised garden bed. However, it did not have the smell of anise and some other indicators of sweet cicly. The plant i have is indeed poison hemlock! It is about 6 ft tall and just starting to bloom. First thing tomorrow im cutting off the flower heads and disposing them as suggested.
Thank you. It's in my blackberry patch. So I will have to hand remove. However I am gonna spray my property line as the field next door is full of it. Ugh.
Believe it or not, I take a q-tip and dip it in the herbicide and apply it. That way no overspray. I know, I’m a little crazy when it comes to that but I don’t want any chemical residue if I can help it. There’s still a little, but only directly on the plant I want to get rid of.
If it works, it is not crazy! It is kind of a micro version of a weed wick. Would be hard to do when dealing with large acreage or heavy infestations though.
@@BackyardEcology yea, I’ve only got an acre. In a rural area and I’m constantly fight burdock. Animals keep bringing the seeds in. At least you can eat the roots!
@@davehendricks4824 Burdock does have a way of popping up everywhere. Don't have too much on our place, but there are a few spots that seem to always have it pop up.
I bag up everything I cut off. I leave the rest in the field as it will die back once it has flowered. Then I make sure I get out to that spot in late winter so I can find the rosettes and get the hemlock when it is easiest to deal with. Everything you find the next year will be coming back from the seedbank, or last year's young rosettes if in an area where it acts as a biennial. Hope this makes sense.
I know you said machete which I have, but would long clippers be as effective without the potential to spray sap? I was thinking of putting a trash bag over the top of a large sprouting hemlock plant upside down, clipping the bottom of the plant at the ground with long trimmers then spraying the roots with round up. Sounds like a decent plan? By the way great video, informative and I chuckled. Good stuff
Long handled loppers would work fine. I wouldn't worry about the herbicide this time of year - the only time poison hemlock is very susceptible to herbicides is when it is in the young rosette stage.
I’ve been spraying a very large patch/grove/jungle for a few years. It gets better each year. This year has been tough to kill. I have prayed it twice and while it obviously worked on most plants, there are still a lot that look wilted over but still growing. Do I need to spray a third time or is it damaged enough and will eventually die?
Would it be e a good idea to suffocate poison hemlock in an area with cardboard or tarps? Then add compost and straw after it has died? I'm wanting to plant native plants in an area of my yard that has a lot of poison hemlock. I don't really want to use chemical and hand pulling it all will take too much time.
Looks similar, but has much less foliage, thinner hairy stems, and no purple blotches. It isn't native to North America either so I go ahead and remove it too.
Queen Anne's lace has hooked seeds that will stick to clothing and fur. Poison hemlock does not have any mechanical mechanism for long distance dispersal so most of the seed drops near the parent plant. Water will disperse hemlock seed though, which is why it is often found along drainages.
Vinegar idoes not kill the roots of a plant - it simply makes them brown and wilt, killing the top. But they will likely resprout and have to be treated again. At the concentrations required for vinegar to work ( acetic acid at 20-30%, household vinegar is between 4-8% acid) it is dangerous and corrosive to the skin and eyes, which is why hort vinegar carries a DANGER signal word on the label. At this concentration it is also harmful to invertebrates like insects and worms, and even frogs and salamanders - and has to be applied multiple times just increasing that environmental impact. I know people see organic approved on a label and think it means safer or more environmentally conscious, but that is not the case when it comes to pesticides. Organic insecticides still kill pollinators if used improperly and organic herbicides can be more acutely toxic than synthetic herbicides and require far more of the product to be sprayed.
I just gave a general recommendation for a systemic herbicide. There are far too many differences in what is legal and available between states for me to give specific herbicide recommendations, not to mention differences in landowner situations and goals. I advise you to talk to your local extension agent for specific herbicide recommdations.
It can be used, I prefer a broadleaf selective herbicide when dealing with it as any grasses growing around the hemlock may help keep seeds still in the ground from germinating and glyphosate will kill the grass. Also, glyphosate is a little more temperature sensitive when it comes to effectiveness than the commonly available broadleaf specific herbicides.
I always knew the difference between Hemlock and Wild Carrot. We never seen in Kentucky after the 70's until about five years ago when it began making a come back. Now it's EVERYWHERE and the kids these days don't have a CLUE as to how to identify it. It's frightening. This sure as heck is not my generation. They are ignorant of the wild and that is for sure. It truly scared me for them. But then again, they don't play outside anymore either.
I've seen poison hemlock steadily increasing over the past 20 or so years in south central KY. Its high capacity for seed production allows it to spread quickly, and it also tends to act as an annual in the south which speeds up its spread even more.
Possibly. If it is a solid acre of it and it would need to be broadcast sprayed rather than spot sprayed hiring someone with the proper equipment might be required. Depending on what state you are in it may be the only choice.
Depends on where you are at - hog weed isn't much of an issue in many places that are covered in hemlock. Plus, poison hemlock has the ability to form huge monocultures very quickly that impact native plant communities. As far as direct danger to humans, yes, hogweed is a much bigger problem since you only have to touch it for it to effect you.
Can't just leave it be, it has to be removed and controlled or it will just continue to spread and create a larger problem. When it comes to invasive species doing nothing is not an option.
Agreed! Why not help get rid of a dangerous problem! Unfortunately it has spread a lot to my property (1.5acres) and is very invasive. I had no idea what it was when it first popped up and have been trying to get rid of it before it affects my animals. Thank you for your video and education about it.
What are your experiences with poison hemlock on your property? Please let us know! If you need help identifying poison hemlock in the rosette stage watch this video: th-cam.com/video/fBUvx_Mtbp0/w-d-xo.html
Great info and follow-up video! Will add it to my arsenal next time I walk our property. I usually pull it by hand when I see it around the house, but not on the farm. Would love to hear more on understanding herbicide labels.
Im so glad i came across this video! I thought i had a sweet cicily plant in my raised garden bed. However, it did not have the smell of anise and some other indicators of sweet cicly. The plant i have is indeed poison hemlock! It is about 6 ft tall and just starting to bloom. First thing tomorrow im cutting off the flower heads and disposing them as suggested.
Glad the video was helpful and you figured out what you had!
Cheapest one of the shovels I found was at High Plains Prospectors, next cheapest was Home Depot and Lowes.
Thank you. It's in my blackberry patch. So I will have to hand remove. However I am gonna spray my property line as the field next door is full of it. Ugh.
It is tough when a neighboring property is full of hemlock.
Believe it or not, I take a q-tip and dip it in the herbicide and apply it. That way no overspray. I know, I’m a little crazy when it comes to that but I don’t want any chemical residue if I can help it. There’s still a little, but only directly on the plant I want to get rid of.
If it works, it is not crazy! It is kind of a micro version of a weed wick. Would be hard to do when dealing with large acreage or heavy infestations though.
@@BackyardEcology yea, I’ve only got an acre. In a rural area and I’m constantly fight burdock. Animals keep bringing the seeds in. At least you can eat the roots!
@@davehendricks4824 Burdock does have a way of popping up everywhere. Don't have too much on our place, but there are a few spots that seem to always have it pop up.
Just remember that the toxins present will stay in the plant for 3 years after its dead
Thank you for the video. I bought the gloves. My parents have hemlock. I bought some gloves.
Glad I could help! Thanks for using our link for the gloves!
If you cut the flower stalk off stem, what if anything do you do with the stem?
I bag up everything I cut off. I leave the rest in the field as it will die back once it has flowered. Then I make sure I get out to that spot in late winter so I can find the rosettes and get the hemlock when it is easiest to deal with. Everything you find the next year will be coming back from the seedbank, or last year's young rosettes if in an area where it acts as a biennial. Hope this makes sense.
I know you said machete which I have, but would long clippers be as effective without the potential to spray sap? I was thinking of putting a trash bag over the top of a large sprouting hemlock plant upside down, clipping the bottom of the plant at the ground with long trimmers then spraying the roots with round up. Sounds like a decent plan? By the way great video, informative and I chuckled. Good stuff
Long handled loppers would work fine. I wouldn't worry about the herbicide this time of year - the only time poison hemlock is very susceptible to herbicides is when it is in the young rosette stage.
I’ve been spraying a very large patch/grove/jungle for a few years. It gets better each year. This year has been tough to kill. I have prayed it twice and while it obviously worked on most plants, there are still a lot that look wilted over but still growing. Do I need to spray a third time or is it damaged enough and will eventually die?
Anybody else here after learning about Socrates?
Would it be e a good idea to suffocate poison hemlock in an area with cardboard or tarps? Then add compost and straw after it has died? I'm wanting to plant native plants in an area of my yard that has a lot of poison hemlock. I don't really want to use chemical and hand pulling it all will take too much time.
It would work on small areas. There is still a chance of it coming back from the seedbank, but small sprouts could be easily hand weeded out.
@@BackyardEcology thanks for the reply! How long would you leave an area covered to kill the hemlock?
I'd give it a few months just to be sure. I don't think it will last long once covered.@@alexbranham2783
Queen Anne lace is similar. Know what you have growing before you pull it.
Looks similar, but has much less foliage, thinner hairy stems, and no purple blotches. It isn't native to North America either so I go ahead and remove it too.
Which plant Queen Anne’s Lace or Poison Hemlock sets tiny sticker type seeds?
Queen Anne's lace has hooked seeds that will stick to clothing and fur. Poison hemlock does not have any mechanical mechanism for long distance dispersal so most of the seed drops near the parent plant. Water will disperse hemlock seed though, which is why it is often found along drainages.
@@BackyardEcology Thank you!
@@marshagraham1342 You are welcome!
can you burn off dried poison hemlock?
It is not recommended to burn poison hemlock.
Any advice for a good herbicide in Illinois?
I'm not familiar with the laws regarding herbicide use in Illinois. Best thing to do would be talk to your local extension or NRCS office.
30 percent vinegar which they sell online and is pricey but it might do the job too.
Vinegar idoes not kill the roots of a plant - it simply makes them brown and wilt, killing the top. But they will likely resprout and have to be treated again. At the concentrations required for vinegar to work ( acetic acid at 20-30%, household vinegar is between 4-8% acid) it is dangerous and corrosive to the skin and eyes, which is why hort vinegar carries a DANGER signal word on the label. At this concentration it is also harmful to invertebrates like insects and worms, and even frogs and salamanders - and has to be applied multiple times just increasing that environmental impact. I know people see organic approved on a label and think it means safer or more environmentally conscious, but that is not the case when it comes to pesticides. Organic insecticides still kill pollinators if used improperly and organic herbicides can be more acutely toxic than synthetic herbicides and require far more of the product to be sprayed.
Will a 10:1 bleach mixture be good enough to clean cutting tools?
Yes. Rubbing alcohol will also work.
I’m sorry but I didn’t catch what the recommended herbicide is?
I just gave a general recommendation for a systemic herbicide. There are far too many differences in what is legal and available between states for me to give specific herbicide recommendations, not to mention differences in landowner situations and goals. I advise you to talk to your local extension agent for specific herbicide recommdations.
Why not use Roundup?
Because it kills bees
It can be used, I prefer a broadleaf selective herbicide when dealing with it as any grasses growing around the hemlock may help keep seeds still in the ground from germinating and glyphosate will kill the grass. Also, glyphosate is a little more temperature sensitive when it comes to effectiveness than the commonly available broadleaf specific herbicides.
@@BackyardEcology Can you recommend a particular herbicide for California?
@@jeffreyjbyron I cannot as I am unfamiliar with the laws in CA.
@@rhondamaynard8028 Used properly it will not kill bees or other pollinators.
I always knew the difference between Hemlock and Wild Carrot. We never seen in Kentucky after the 70's until about five years ago when it began making a come back. Now it's EVERYWHERE and the kids these days don't have a CLUE as to how to identify it. It's frightening. This sure as heck is not my generation. They are ignorant of the wild and that is for sure. It truly scared me for them. But then again, they don't play outside anymore either.
I've seen poison hemlock steadily increasing over the past 20 or so years in south central KY. Its high capacity for seed production allows it to spread quickly, and it also tends to act as an annual in the south which speeds up its spread even more.
How do you get rid of an entire acre of it? Hire a professional? It would take a lot of herbicide...`
Possibly. If it is a solid acre of it and it would need to be broadcast sprayed rather than spot sprayed hiring someone with the proper equipment might be required. Depending on what state you are in it may be the only choice.
I wouldn't worry about poison hemlock I would worry about hogweed that's a bigger problem
Depends on where you are at - hog weed isn't much of an issue in many places that are covered in hemlock. Plus, poison hemlock has the ability to form huge monocultures very quickly that impact native plant communities. As far as direct danger to humans, yes, hogweed is a much bigger problem since you only have to touch it for it to effect you.
DEAD
OMG, just leave it alone and don t touch it... Is it so hard to do?
Can't just leave it be, it has to be removed and controlled or it will just continue to spread and create a larger problem. When it comes to invasive species doing nothing is not an option.
Agreed! Why not help get rid of a dangerous problem! Unfortunately it has spread a lot to my property (1.5acres) and is very invasive. I had no idea what it was when it first popped up and have been trying to get rid of it before it affects my animals. Thank you for your video and education about it.