Control of rhododendron in woodland

[peds]

Diggers do seem like a useful tool, a bit outside of my budget and skillset for now unfortunately. Never driven one, I'd love to learn. 

[Mick Dempsey]

14 minutes ago, peds said:

Diggers do seem like a useful tool, a bit outside of my budget and skillset for now unfortunately. Never driven one, I'd love to learn. 

A day or so mucking about and you would be able to operate a digger for low skill stuff like up-rooting rhodies.

Digging foundation trenches etc is a different story.

 

As has been said before, loads of people can operate a digger, not many are digger operators.

[peds]

I had 4 digger drivers in over the build of my house, 2 doing the laneway and drainage ditches, 1 to knock the old cottage and to level and stone the site, and 1 to dig trenches for water in and out, and to bury the septic tank.

 

I would only happily be in the hole with 1 out of the 4. He was a surgeon. 

[5thelement]

28 minutes ago, peds said:

Diggers do seem like a useful tool, a bit outside of my budget and skillset for now unfortunately. Never driven one, I'd love to learn. 

Rhododendron is the worst timber ever invented for putting in a chipper. It twists and turns in all directions so it is difficult to feed into the rollers, unless you have a big budget machine, it has soil pockets and soil/ stone attached to the layered shoots which wrecks the blades. 
It does make high grade firewood and charcoal, but again, its growth habit slows down the processing side. 

[roys]

2 hours ago, peds said:

Diggers do seem like a useful tool, a bit outside of my budget and skillset for now unfortunately. Never driven one, I'd love to learn. 

I got @AHPP on here with his machine to pull out the rhododendron by the roots, he achieved more in a couple of days than I can do n a couple of years. I must get him back for round two now that my ground has finally started to dry out.

My usual method is to chain saw the main stems and hand pull the smaller stuff out. Stack in massive piles for 6 months or so and then burn them, They burn great, I was always dubious about chipping it in case it encouraged regrowth.

i would drill 10mm ish holes in the main stumps and pour GP into the holes from a fairy liquid bottle, that was the best way I could think of to be super accurate with it.

i did a thread on here called Rhody bash and burn detailing it all.

[AHPP]

I suspected your woods were soft considering the winter we've just had!

 

As roys said, peds. Rip and burn. Spraying it around with a chipper is maximum effort for maximum accidental replanting. I use a skidsteer because I have a skidsteer and I like skidsteers for other things. A digger would also be fine for ripping and better to dig holes to burn stuff in if that's the sort of thing your customers want. It could be that a digger that can do hippy things like dig ponds pushes you that way. Or it could be that a skidsteer that can trench, scrape, rake, move stuff on forks, manbasket etc etc pushes you that way.

Edited July 31 by AHPP

[AHPP]

And don't worry about the cost of machines. Just steal one, you Irish bastard.

Edited July 31 by AHPP

[peds]

Yeah, all these toys do sound useful. It's just the cost really isn't it, but as you suggest, I could always just nick them.

 

Also, you know full well I'm not Irish. I'm Belgian and proud. 

[Stere]

Ive done quite alot using  handtools as a volunteer yrs ago apart from the largest stumps that were left for diggers

 

Used to just burn it all sometimes had 6 fires going at once on one site

 

 

Smaller stuff dug up with mattocks as is shallow rooted & loppers bow saws etc.

 

 

I always wanted to try  theese they  look effective esp as its so shallow rooted a plant.

 

 

There are several variations on the same-ish idea about but the big curved designs look best imo

 

Home | Tree Popper Australia

WWW.TREEPOPPER.COM.AU

 

 

 

Friends of Apley Woods have added “tree poppers” to their tool inventory | Newsroom

NEWSROOM.TELFORD.GOV.UK

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Friends of Apley Woods, the voluntary group which supports the council in caring for the Local Nature Reserve is now...

 

Another :

 

 

Shrub and Tree Puller - Extractigator Big Daddy

REAGTOOLS.CO.UK

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The Big Daddy Extractigator Shrub and Tree Puller will remove most woody stem plants from paper thin up to 8.4cm (3.32”)...

 

Edited August 2 by Stere

[peds]

That looks like a great tool, definitely on the shopping list. £330 for the 8.4kg  actually seems very reasonable to me. There's definitely space for an item like that in my van. 

Thanks for sharing that.