Lantana control

7 posts

Member for

7 years 8 months
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 07/22/2016 - 22:59

Lantana control

hello & thanks for the add to group. I am looking at a 570 acre property near stroud nsw, about 100 acres are cleared & the rest is steep dense rainforest with a large ammount of lantana present. Can someone help with advise on what my responsibility will be in regards to this, eg what time frame do you normally get to start eradication, what rate of treatment would be acceptable to keep authorities happy that you are genuinly having a go (acres per month treated), average cost per acre for self treatment & approx cost per acre for a contractor to do it. Some of this will be real difficult to access. At present this is the only thing concerning me before I commit to a loan application which  Ive been told is pretty well in the bag if I go ahead. Thanks Darren

Forums
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 07/22/2016 - 12:06
Goats can work wonders on lantana, if you can fence(with a temporary electric fence) them into patch by patch of the worst stuff at intensive capacity, can make the job a lot easier, cleaner, cheaper.
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 07/22/2016 - 22:59

Thanks for the reply & coinsidently I was thinking that as he has 30 goats in a paddock with electric fence but also dog proof mesh but there is no lantana in that paddock. Problems I think with this could be attack from dogs & access to drinking water, What concerns me is the legal responsibility to eradicate this & whether I will be ordered to addreess issue soon after purchasing, this happened to a friend in qld with a different weed & within a few months of buying his property he received a notice to start getting rid of it or face heavy penalties. Goats for my thinking would be better than spraying poison but would take longer. Thanksl2

Kaz
Last seen: 07/06/2023 - 21:03
Joined: 04/05/2015 - 09:51
Hello If no notification for eradication has been issued to the current owner then youll have as much time to clear it as until you recieve such a notice. However being the vast spreading weed that it is, and if there is a notice of eradication in place, you may have been dumped with a really big job in a short time. Something to get info about in your contract exchange. It may also be a negotiation on a price reduction as chemical control will prove expensive, weed eradication takes a good 3 years plus ongoing spot eradication. Being a Cat2 weed in some areas, you have a responsibility to report to your council and NSW Weedwise that it is growing on your property and how you are going to control it from spreading. It is strongly advised that stock is removed from paddocks that have a Lantana infestation due to the toxicity of the plant. Chemical control will be your best bet against fighting it. Let us know how you go. PS dont be turned off the property by this, I purchased property that had widespread St Johns wort over 490 acres and managed it out by slashing and weed wiping. I never knew I had the weed till the spring after purchase so was a horrible shock. Now I have rolling green hills of pasture and bushland.
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Darren,

Sorry ill with pneumonia at present, so haven't been on line to answer questions for a week or two.

Kaz is completely correct. Lantana can be a serious problem, even fatal for livestock, especially white goats and cattle with pink skins.

There are many varieties of lantana. Most of which are poisonous to livestock. All White, Yellow, Red, Purple, orange or combinations of these colours are toxic to goats and cattle. One variety Bundaberg pink around the Bundaberg region contains less of the toxin Lantanedine than other varieties. However, north of the Tropic of Capricorn, the same variety becomes highly toxic.

Lantanedine blocks the production in the liver of the chemical which protects animals from solar radiation. I knew a person in Qld near Malanda, years ago, who put his 3 stud Hereford bulls into a paddock containing red lantana (contains the most lantanedine of all lantana) within two days they were down and in three dead. Nothing could save them as their livers were totally destroyed.

 

Symptoms of Lantana poisoning are: Blistering and redness of exposed skin especially around the face, which can run plasma. Animal seeking shade, blindness, staggering, collapse and death.

 

If these symtoms occurr, remove animals from paddock immediatley and place in shade with access to water. Call the vet. Yes, St Johns wort is really bad news for animals especially white, pink skinned ones. The Hypericum contained in it has a similar effect to lantanedine, killing animals fairly quickly.

 

Please find another way to control the lantana as I have seen the results of animals of several species when they have been given access to lantana-or St Johns Worte, it was heartbreaking to see the suffering of the animals, which were in terrible pain and some were blinded and had to be euthanaised.

 

Barb

Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 07/22/2016 - 22:59

Thanks for the replies & with this info received I definately will be ruling out goats. Any contractors carry out this kind of work who I could get a quote off or maybe one of the neighbors may have the gear to take it on, I dont have any experience or knowledge on this problem except I can see it will be a huge job as like I said earlier its about 500 acres of steep dense & near inpeneratable rainforest with old forest trails intersecting it.  Been looking for a few years for rural property & this one has ticked a lot of boxes as close to home(75 minutes drive), plenty of water, plenty of room for the kids to ride their bikes without upsetting any nearby neighbors, enough established grazing (approx 70 acres) to start having a go at farming & very peaceful scenic landscape but not sure about relaxfull if  I have to deal with the lantana myself. Sorry to hear you have been sick Barb sounds like youve had a hard trot, take care & hope you get well soon. Thanks again, regards Darren

Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi again Darren,

 

I forgot to mention how I control it. I bought a quad bike and spray tank (Silvan) of a size suitable for the size of the Quad bike. There are several herbicides suitable to control Lantana and you will have to check with the Dept of Ag or equivalent in your state to find out which are permitted to be used to control it. Warning don't burn it, as like black berries it triggers the plant to go nuts and put out shoots everywhere. Good luck with this. It will take a while to get under control as there are bound to be a lot of seeds from it around the paddocks.

 

Cheers,

Barb

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