Yates Zero Tough Heavy Duty Weedkiller - Ready to Use
Extremely effective at controlling the toughest, hard-to-kill and invasive weeds and grasses (such as ivy, gorse & bamboo) - roots and all.
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Ranunculaceae
Clematis vitalba
What is Old Man's Beard?
Old Man’s Beard is a very invasive pest weed of native bush in NZ. It’s a fast-growing deciduous vine that forms dense clumps with long, woody stems. It can grow up to 20m in height by scrambling up into the tree canopy. This often ends up smothering and collapsing its host trees, plus killing off and preventing germination of other plants at ground level by blocking out sunlight.
It spreads rapidly by layering (forming new roots wherever the stems touch down on the ground), plus it produces numerous seeds that can be spread by wind, water or birds. It will even resprout from very tiny sections of stem.
Cascades of white, fragrant flowers appear in spring. These are followed by seeds, that have clusters of distinctive fluffy white plumes (which explains the 'old man's beard' name).
Old man’s beard is very hardy; it’s shade tolerant, doesn’t mind damp or poor soil and will survive frosts. It thrives in most conditions, so it has become widespread throughout NZ.
How to control Old Man's Beard
The traditional control is to cut out a section of each stem close to the ground and leave the bulk of the stems up above to die off. Be wary though, as the overhead stems sprout new roots very quickly if they touch the ground.
The stumps also resprout quickly, so it’s a good idea to spot spray the fresh cuts immediately with Yates Zero Tough Weedkiller.
Go back after a couple of months and spray any regrowth you find with Yates Zero Tough Weedkiller.
Areas Impacted by Old Man's Beard
- Regenerating or degraded bush
- Bush edges
- Scrubland
- Fern and ponga habitats
- Open tussock
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