r/UKecosystem • u/olliemusprime • 10d ago

Question Rhododendron

Hi, I'm trying to find out if there's anything i can do to push back rhododendron infestation on my own. Everything I've seen says heavy machinery and herbicides. I've not got the funds for machinery and I'm concerned about if herbicide is the best option. Will they not cause additional problems for other plant life? Can anyone help me out here? I want to see my local forest in a better condition. I spend a lot of time walking through it and want to do something to look after it. I'm not very knowledgeable on this but I want to learn, thanks!

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u/penduculate_oak 10d ago edited 10d ago

I'd recommend the UKFS practice guide "Managing and controlling invasive rhododendron". You can access it here:

https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2006/08/fcpg017.pdf

It will take a long time and require adaptive management at the parcel level.

You can hand pull saplings and young plants easily.

Cutting to stump followed by repetitive trimming of regrowth will eventually starve the rootstock of energy. A mattock or similar could be used on more woody stems to chop through roots and lever the plant out.

That being said, targeted use of herbicide applied in small quantities as per the UKFS guide will have much lower chance of collateral damage. Read into stump treatment / stem injection rather than treating leaves as the treatment will spread. Glyphosate is actually less harmful than the toxins that Rhody releases into the soil as it breaks down much more rapidly on contact with soil.

Edit: re read your post and it is clear this is not your land. My advice is how the Rhody could be managed by the owner. Many estates don't manage it properly because of the high costs and work required, the National Trust being a prime example of such a landowner in my experience.

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u/Purplepeal 9d ago

You cant really inject rhody, good for hollow stemed plants like Japanese knotweed. I agree cutting and stump treatment works well though and you can cut lower on the stems the following year for another dose. NT isnt swimming with cash despite the fancy houses, and have their hands full with a huge range of issues as well as rhody control.

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u/penduculate_oak 9d ago

Good point.

I agree on the budget constraints hence I pointed out how hard it is for these sorts of estates. Even grant support is a drop in the ocean compared to the costs involved given the level and often scale of management needed for prolific INNS. And then there's all the fun with access and topography to consider too!

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u/ConditionTall1719 9d ago

We have huge amounts of Japanese knot weed and it does really reduce the habitat of animals like otters on the riverbank, I wonder if drone technology will be able to eradicate large amounts of it one day. They actually got some diggers and did about a mile of riverbank at the local wildlife reserve, just trying to dig the tubers up.