Sweet Gum Trees

buckpasser

Senior Member
I am a novice in this area of expertise.

I would like to know if any of you are familiar with a product called RM43 which is a total vegetation control.

HAVE ANY OF YOU USED THIS EXACT PRODUCT and if so, what information can you give me about being safe with it????

A good friend of mine that has a lot more experience with working outside and bush-hogging, skid-steer operations and clearing land etc advised me to buy this product last year and I bought two quarts of it BUT I totally forgot to try and spray any of it back in early spring like he told me to do right before everything brushed out. I just found these two quarts this afternoon.

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I see that this product is manufactured FOR RAGAN AND MASSEY which is located in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. I was just able to finally read the super fine print that states that this product is 43.68 % GLYPHOSATE.

I am really glad that I have a BIG and more powerful magnifying glass as such because all of the writing on this attached sheet is smaller than a microscopic gnat's gonads. Here I am as I normally can see a chigger on the moon BUT it should be against the law to print anything this small.

Can any of you offer any comments about this product about the safety aspects including what types of clothing and head-gear etc to be used and also mixing particularly into a 2 1/2 gallon sprayer size????


MY ORIGINAL GOAL OF USING THIS PRODUCT WAS TO TRY AND KILL A BUNCH OF SWEETGUM AND PLUM TYPE TREES THAT BEGIN GROWING IN THE EARLY SPRING IN MY OPEN FIELD EACH YEAR. I noticed recently that these two types of "trees" were growing like crazy again already this year.

It’s just roundup.

I looked it up. Touch of Imazapyr.
 
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NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
I am a novice in this area of expertise.

I would like to know if any of you are familiar with a product called RM43 which is a total vegetation control.

HAVE ANY OF YOU USED THIS EXACT PRODUCT and if so, what information can you give me about being safe with it????

A good friend of mine that has a lot more experience with working outside and bush-hogging, skid-steer operations and clearing land etc advised me to buy this product last year and I bought two quarts of it BUT I totally forgot to try and spray any of it back in early spring like he told me to do right before everything brushed out. I just found these two quarts this afternoon.

*************************************************

I see that this product is manufactured FOR RAGAN AND MASSEY which is located in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. I was just able to finally read the super fine print that states that this product is 43.68 % GLYPHOSATE.

I am really glad that I have a BIG and more powerful magnifying glass as such because all of the writing on this attached sheet is smaller than a microscopic gnat's gonads. Here I am as I normally can see a chigger on the moon BUT it should be against the law to print anything this small.

Can any of you offer any comments about this product about the safety aspects including what types of clothing and head-gear etc to be used and also mixing particularly into a 2 1/2 gallon sprayer size????


MY ORIGINAL GOAL OF USING THIS PRODUCT WAS TO TRY AND KILL A BUNCH OF SWEETGUM AND PLUM TYPE TREES THAT BEGIN GROWING IN THE EARLY SPRING IN MY OPEN FIELD EACH YEAR. I noticed recently that these two types of "trees" were growing like crazy again already this year.
As buckpasser said, that is basically Roundup. For a tank mix on tough woody stuff, mix about 4-5 oz. per gallon. PPE is just long-sleeved shirt and pants.
 

CarolinaDawg

Senior Member
It’s just roundup.[/QUOTE

It’s not just Roundup. RM 43 has Imazapyr in it as well. Most of the time you see a product that claims to kill vegetation and prevent growth for up to a year, it’s glyphosate plus Imazapyr. Glyphosate only kills actively growing plants as it isn’t soil active. The soil active Imazapyr is added to prevent growth where it’s sprayed. I wouldn’t hesitate to use RM43 for hack n squirt or stump painting, but I personally wouldn’t spray sweetgum with it. I kill sweetgum to keep the sunlight hitting the forest floor to grow beneficial grasses and forbs. Spraying a soil active herbicide defeats my purpose.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks. From the OP, I just saw glyphosate as the active ingredient, no mention of the imazapyr. I am not personally familiar with that product. I would be leery of it if it has soil activity.
 

buckpasser

Senior Member

I stand corrected.
 

EAGLE EYE 444

King Casanova
Thanks for the above replies as this is an area that I really know nothing about over the years as I never had to deal with it.....other than paying to have it bush-hogged each year.

Please keep in mind that this is on my property up in the country and NOT a residence as such in a neighborhood. In fact, there is no residence type building on my property as I contracted to have the structure totally demolished and removed recently.....and dang was it costly. :banginghe:banginghe:banginghe:pop:

This is in an area of about 3/4 acre and it is in more of a "old" open field/pasture type setting with no cows or anything other than normal critters. This open field "problem" area is located on a "very country" paved road that only has about 20 cars per day travelling it. The sweetgum trees and plum trees have just about taken half of this little open field each year. The other problem is after bush-hogging each year over this area, there are still some sharp type stumps of these 1" - 2 1/2 " diameter trees that were bush-hogged the year before BUT they CAN STILL RUIN A TIRE....AND THAT IS VERY COSTLY.

My other questions now....

(1) Is it too late in the year to try and spray for these sweetgum and plum trees etc?

(2) CAN or SHOULD it be mixed with diesel fuel and then sprayed based on "a certain number of ounces" per gallon of mixture in the sprayer OR SHOULD IT JUST BE USED WITH ONLY WATER ??? I only have a (plastic/rubberized) smaller type "hand-held" type 2 1/2 gallon sprayer. I could use either the water OR Diesel fuel if one works a lot better than the other.

(3) After a year or two, do you still have to do this exact same thing each year more-so during the springtime in hopes that it will finally kill these invasive sweetgums and plum trees for good in the future?
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks for the above replies as this is an area that I really know nothing about over the years as I never had to deal with it.

Please keep in mind that this is on my property up in the country and NOT a residence as such in a neighborhood. In fact, there is no residence type building on my property as I contracted to have the structure totally demolished and removed recently.....and dang was it costly. :banginghe:banginghe:banginghe:pop:

This is in an area of about 3/4 acre and it is in more of a "old" open field/pasture type setting with no cows or anything other than normal critters. This open field "problem" area is located on a "very country" paved road that only has about 20 cars per day travelling it. The sweetgum trees and plum trees have just about taken half of this little open field each year. The other problem is after bush-hogging each year over this area, there are still some sharp type stumps of these 1" - 2 1/2 " diameter trees that were bush-hogged the year before BUT they CAN STILL RUIN A TIRE....AND THAT IS VERY COSTLY.

My other questions now....

(1) Is it too late in the year to try and spray for these sweetgum and plum trees etc?

(2) CAN or SHOULD it be mixed with diesel fuel and then sprayed based on "a certain number of ounces" per gallon of mixture in the sprayer OR SHOULD IT JUST BE USED WITH ONLY WATER ??? I only have a (plastic/rubberized) smaller type "hand-held" type 2 1/2 gallon sprayer. I could use either the water OR Diesel fuel if one works a lot better than the other.

(3) After a year or two, do you still have to do this exact same thing each year more-so during the springtime in hopes that it will finally kill these invasive sweetgums and plum trees for good in the future?
Any time during the growing season is fine. I would mix with water, not diesel. I don't want to kill every living thing on the land. As for how often you will have to spray, it just depends on the place and the conditions.
 

EAGLE EYE 444

King Casanova
Any time during the growing season is fine. I would mix with water, not diesel. I don't want to kill every living thing on the land. As for how often you will have to spray, it just depends on the place and the conditions.

Steve, thanks a bunch as I surely need to be doing something about this ongoing problem.
 

Throwback

Chief Big Taw
Y’all must not have watched all them lawyer ads blaming roundup for everything from the space shuttle blowing up to global warming ?
 

HarryO45

Mag dump Dirty Harry
On my lease about six months before they plant they send in a helicopter to spray (pellets?). Kills the sweet gums pretty good... I don’t know what chemical it is but they don’t grow back. Near my house they clear cut a smaller area and sent in a work crew with sprayer and killed the green. Planted a few months later. I guess hunting a pine lease has some advantages when dealing with sweet gums. I actually have found that the deer like moving in and around low sweet gums so I hunt over watching them.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
Y’all must not have watched all them lawyer ads blaming roundup for everything from the space shuttle blowing up to global warming ?
Don't forget systemic racism and toxic masculinity.
 

nmurph

Senior Member
On my lease about six months before they plant they send in a helicopter to spray (pellets?). Kills the sweet gums pretty good... I don’t know what chemical it is but they don’t grow back. Near my house they clear cut a smaller area and sent in a work crew with sprayer and killed the green. Planted a few months later. I guess hunting a pine lease has some advantages when dealing with sweet gums. I actually have found that the deer like moving in and around low sweet gums so I hunt over watching them.

That's most likely Imazipyr.
 

elfiii

Admin
Staff member

Powerline

Senior Member
I cut and sprayed a LOT of sweet gums on my place in February, before and after my prescribed fire. I used diesel and crossbow and the stumps are dead as a hammer today. The fire top killed all the little ones and they are growing back now. I’m going to burn it again next year but going to wait till late summer that should take out a lot more of the little ones. I’m still trying to figure out what to spray on them now using my backpack sprayer??
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uturn

Senior Member
Listening in on this one, the track I have has some monsters, the little piece backs up to some NF land and I had a cruiser look at it with me when I 1st found it and he said probably never been touched everything is huge and 3 miles tall! Cut my 1st trail in with a Forresty Mulcher!

Careful is an understatement..sweet gums are tough even little ones and then there‘s the wisteria..Jurassic Park is what we have named it.

Hope to get it thinned enough to burn.

Thanks for sharing this information!

Scott1F75D20D-9AF7-4A47-9578-9BDE28245B22.jpeg
 
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GDAWG84

Senior Member
I cut and sprayed a LOT of sweet gums on my place in February, before and after my prescribed fire. I used diesel and crossbow and the stumps are dead as a hammer today. The fire top killed all the little ones and they are growing back now. I’m going to burn it again next year but going to wait till late summer that should take out a lot more of the little ones. I’m still trying to figure out what to spray on them now using my backpack sprayer??
View attachment 1083879
Use Garlon this time of year. It’s not soil active so you won’t have as much collateral damage. It’s also not systematic so you have to really cover the seedlings to be effective.
 

bnew17

Senior Member
I did a foliar spray with Tricployr last year that did ok. Killed some and just burnt some. One thing i have learned is if you cut the tree you better paint it with something immediatley...if not, it will re sprout into 100 shoots.
 
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