Invasive plant hire equipment

Tree poppers

Tree poppers are useful for removing woody weeds. They work by holding the stem of the plant and leveraging it out of the ground with some manual pressure. Tree poppers come in 2 sizes, medium (removes trees with a stem diameter of up to 40mm) and large (removes trees with a stem diameter of up to 60mm).

Aquatic weed containment boom

An aquatic weed containment boom floats on the upper part of the water body and helps with containing aquatic weeds. They are useful for stopping the spread of aquatic weeds to other parts of a waterway or for containing them to allow for more effective control. Available in various sizes. A council officer can help you determine which size boom you will need and assist with the installation.

Solarisation materials

Solarisation of invasive plants is achieved by laying out black plastic covering and securing it to the ground. The suns heat and absence of sunlight needed for photosynthesis kills plants under the plastic. This method of control is only useful where there is sufficient sunlight and where it is possible to cover plants and leave the area undisturbed for a few months. Plastic covering and pegs to secure the plastic are available for small projects up to 20 square metres.

Wick wipers

Wick wipers allow for the treatment of weed species without damaging pasture and are suitable for pastures or open areas with larger infestations of pasture weeds where there is vehicle access. A Wick wiper is a trailer with a large horizontal rolling wick that applies herbicide to plants that it comes in contact with. To tow a wick wiper you will need a vehicle such as a ute or tractor with a tow ball. A 2.4 metre unit and 1.8 metre wick wiper are available.

Quick spray unit

A Quick spray unit is a 400 litre tank on a trailer with a high pressure foliar spray hose. It achieves herbicide application in a quick time frame and can be used to treat land and aquatic weeds over large areas where vehicle access is possible. You will need a vehicle capable of towing a 400 litre tank with a 50mm tow hitch to hire one of the quickspray units.

Using hire equipment

Identify the problem area and decide on a treatment method.

Consider neighbours and potential spray drift, land use, weather conditions, degree of infestation and access.

Do your research – what time of year is best and which herbicide is most effective?

Always trial a smaller area first and monitor the results.

Make sure you understand the operating procedure and what personal safety equipment is required.

Please note herbicides can cause serious harm to people, the environment and agriculture if they are not used strictly in accordance with label requirements.