Steep slope success in Bungal

  • Roger Macraild
  • VSTWP Extension Officer
  • 2018

In 2017 the Department of Land Water and Planning’s Adrian Balharry was faced with a very difficult site to manage in Bungal. The steep 10 ha site comprises the west bank of the Moorabool river and had good native vegetation values to preserve. Given the proximity to a waterway, the only control option open to them was spot spraying, but was that affordable?

They engaged Goldfields Weed Management to conduct the spray works. Officer Balharry said that “we find them very professional and they can throw multiple people at the same job allowing the works to be completed quickly.” The careful yet thorough way they covered this site has been quite exemplary.

For this job the equivalent rate of 2l/ha of flupropanate was applied from calibrated knapsacks using a 1.5 size nozzle. Glyphosate was also added to facilitate a quicker knock-down of the serrated tussock and to prevent any plant seeding. It has been estimated that around 2,500 serrated tussock plants were killed per 10 litre knapsack. The resultant cost of the first year’s treatment to deal with the worst of the problem was $5,078. Adrian indicated that DELWP intend to complete follow up works in 2018 and treat Gorse and Blackberry also.