There is a biological control that is approved for whitetop, but not really available yet. When I redo this video I will be sure to also indicate that imazapyr (Arsenal/Habitat), metsulfuron (Escort) and chlorsulfuron (Telar) are probably not good herbicides to use in the home landscape because they are active in the soil. The roots of trees and flowers may reach over and absorb those herbicides, causing serious injury or death of non-target plants. Always use caution when using herbicides and be aware that roots of many are throughout the soil.
If it is really well established he is wrong about pulling it. I had a half dozen plants that came back after spraying them a couple times and figured with such a small number I could just pull them and didn't need more spray (I don't like spraying herbicide). I did get a couple of them to not come back after 5 years but three of them continued on and I finally broke out the spray. I was digging them down 7 and 8" immediately when the would pop up so they wouldn't have any time to gain energy (from the sun) It was just mind-blowing how tough of a plant and how much energy they have. I even tried digging down several feet and getting the thicker root. Even when I sprayed the plants that were left it still took a couple of years - they would die back and be gone until fall, I would spray them again and then they would be gone until late spring, then repeat. I've been free of it for 10 years and I watch for it like a hawk and will not hesitate one minute to spray if I ever get it again. It is a weed that is worth using herbicide on.
There is a wildflower that looks a little similar to White top / Hoary Cress. Look at the shape of the seed under a magnifying glass - White Top has a distinctly heart-shaped seed - totally different from the wild flower
@@akrossmann1631 How long did it take and what concentration/mix did you use? Also, do you know how it had been established? I have a family friend that has some of it in her yard and she really doesn't want to use a standard herbicide so I trying to find something she would be willing to use before it fully settles in and causes her a nightmare. In my experience vinegar can work ok on small seedlings but I've never gotten it to kill the roots of a bigger weed.
A follow up from just the other day. Wow. I just had two plants come up in the same exact spot that I had it ??at least 7 or 8 years ago? but like I said in the post I think it has been 10 years. Just amazing how persistent it is one it gets well established and stores a lot of energy it its deeper roots.
"Adam, because thou hast partaken of the forbidden fruit, the earth shall be cursed for thy sake. Instead of producing fruits and flowers spontaneously, it shall bring forth thorns, thistles, briars, and noxious weeds, including Whitetop, to afflict and torment man."
Haha - I actually went and looked that bible passage to see if Whitetop was actually included in there. LOL I have said many times it is a weed straight from hell so they SHOULD have included it.
Keep in mind that whitetop is on the "Class 3: Containment" Utah noxious weed list. Which means you must contain the population so it does not spread, or eradicate if you can. If mowing will keep it from spreading then that practice is acceptable. Thanks for watching.
Please believe me when I say - You really should kill it. Look ,99% of the time I totally agree with you on chemical herbicides and I virtually never use them but Whitetop is one weed that is worthwhile using them on. In my experience here are your options -- Use less chemical now, more chemical later, or have it spread all over the place including your neighbors and then they will use lots of chemicals. It even spread (albeit slowly) into my extremely healthy, dense pasture. I would suggest using a surfactant if you spray to make sure plenty of chemical gets into the plant. Don't mix it stronger than the manufacturer recommends - that will kill the top faster but it doesn't always allow time for the chemical to get through the whole plant - in other words the roots and rhizomes which is of course the only reason to use a chemical. You need to spray it with enough time for the systemic herbicide to kill the plant before it puts on seed. The seeds WILL be viable (I tested it once - even on seeds that looked smaller and not fully developed). Let me know if I can explain that any better - if you get it good you can usually eliminate it with a minimum of chemical so I don't mind giving as many pointers as I can to people to get a good kill right away. I once picked a bunch of whitetop and put it in a plastic garbage bag because of course you can't put it in your compost and once it's gone to seed you can't even dry it out first. Anyway I left the bag that was jammed full of whitetop on top of some other whitetop. Some of the weeds in the bag rotted, some punched a hole in the bottom of the bag and re-rooted themselves and then punched a hole in the top of the bag and started growing again and the whitetop that was under the bag punched a hole in the bottom of the bag and grew up through the rotting and living plants and out the top. Seriously. This stuff is straight from hell. I then got more serious about eliminating and spent several years trying alternative means including diligent pulling and it never worked - I made a tiny amount of progress.
You could point them out to the county weed department. They have legal authority in Utah to spray noxious weeds on private property and charge the landowner. Most don't, but they have the authority after due process.
