Well, removal started in earnest today and will continue tomorrow. I decided in the end to remove the roots for drying then burning, and leave the foliage piled up on the bank but at a safe distance from the stream.
Stupid question... if the flowers are only just forming now, does that mean they are well off being seed and leaving the foliage piled up won't cause other new plants to grow from it?
Also, does the plant grow only from it's seeds? Or is it one of these plants that will regrow from every tiny piece of root that's left?
I've looked up both questions but found no answers. Probably because they're stupid questions!
Hi there... I think it is a year since you posted. I found the post as I alos have water hemlock dropwort in the stream at the bottom of the garden. I'd love to know how you got on, as it is my job for this week. Can you share what precautions you took re removal? What do you eventually do with the plants and tubers? And did they come back this year? My husband is fairly hysterical an sis convinced I will meet my end if I tough it 😂 I just want it gone and disposed of safely. Any advice or lessons learned would be very helpful. Many thanks suzy
Yes, I spent a few days getting it all up and out around this time last year. I should start by saying that in retrospect I wonder if I were a bit hasty. It's really hard to say, but I do slightly regret it because it is good for wildlife. As it stands, our dog is always on a lead in the garden because we're not fenced in, so she's safe. And we don't have children or other animals. I guess when we do get the garden secured there is always a small chance that the dog might eat some. And that was the thing that guided the decision in the end. But I would advise to have a good think about how totally necessary it is first.
That being said, you probably already have and just want me to share what I did!
I used a plastic dustbin and an old metal grid type bucket, the type used in fish n chip shops. I separated the foliage from the roots/fingers. The foliage went in the bin, while the roots went in the chip bucket so that I could swish it around to remove mud etc from them. The foliage I put into heaps in safe places to rot down, which didn't take long. The roots I laid out on a tarpaulin for a few weeks (actually, I can't remember for how long but it was a while). I covered them when it rained, and uncovered them when dry, in an attempt to dry them out as best I could. I then had a bonfire and burnt them bit by bit over the course of the evening (so that they were never the main thing burning).
As for safety... Starting at the finish with the fire, I read up as much as I could RE whether the fumes would be toxic. The consensus was yes, but I never got a definitive answer. So I took precautions by wearing a facemask, burning it in the hottest part of the fire, and making sure there was plenty of wood so that the hemlock could be put on in little bits. I did have a lot mind (the stream is around 400-500 metres).
Pulling the stuff up I double gloved, with marigolds on the inside and more heavy duty gauntlets on the outside. I wore eye protection and a face covering. Didn't wear a mask because it kept steaming up and proved to be a real pain. So I just had a scarf tied tightly. Even though it was really hot when I was working, I was sure to keep all parts of my body covered. I sweated like crazy, but then I guess that's not too relevant
Not long after having finished, I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn't look like me. It was the most bizarre thing! It took a few double takes to work out why, and after calling my partner through to take a look, we discovered the bridge of my nose had swollen. Being Italian I have a bit of a Roman nose, but for a few days I looked more like that young lad from the Cher film: Mask. OK, that's an exaggeration. But it's the first thing that came to mind when I saw my reflection staring back at me.
Was it the Hemlock? I really don't know, but it has never happened before or since, so I can only assume it was some kind of sinus reaction.
I would therefore take as many precautions as you can and take the stuff really seriously, not just because of my facial distortions, but because of all those other horror stories you hear about which no doubt brought you here.
This grows in the stream in my garden if I let it. Because I had read of its toxicity to livestock I always remove it. Compost the leaves, roots go in green waste bin. I always wear gloves. However both upstream and downstream my livestock farmer neighbours ignore it and are dismissive of my concerns. The cows eat it in the summer and my neighbours are still in business! Go figure.....
Just thought I'd add this. When I first encountered this plant I identified it from books (no internet back then.) So I just learned that it was 'poisonous to livestock', and out of consideration to my neighbours, have always removed it. But reading various items online this morning I learned more about it, seeing it described as the most toxic plant in the UK etc. But one blog, 'Let it grow' by Jeremy Bartlett mentions that small quantities can be eaten by cattle with no ill effects, and quotes an incidence of human ingestion of the roots in a curry where the diners became ill but survived thanks to medical treatment.
So I have learned a lot more about it this morning, and will not be quite as worried when I see the cows eating the foliage.
Note of caution on face masks, typical disposable surgical type face masks (or fabric for that matter) offer no protection for fumes. You need special respitator masks for hazardous chemical if you are worried about fumes.
I started removing it from our river and water meadow area during the first lockdown - Easter 2020. Just wore gloves and had no ill effects but I could just have been lucky. I decided to remove it as it is highly invasive and had completely taken over some areas preventing other plants from growing. We are also a campsite and wanted to minimise the risk to members of the public.
In the river I hand pulled everything which was fairly easy except for where it was growing through riverbank tree roots. Away from the watercourse I spot treated the leaves with weedkiller as there was so much of it then went through a couple of weeks later to dig out as much of the roots as I could. The next year 2021 there was about 50% regrowth and about 25% the year after. Each year it reduces a bit but you won't get all the roots out. A couple of years on I go up the river about twice a year to remove small plants coming downstream from neighbours and keep an eye on the rest of the land and whip them out before flowering. Its worth noting that the roots will survive on land in the open air quite happily - I've got some that were left in a pile waiting to be burnt (but werent) and they regrow each year!
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Stupid question... if the flowers are only just forming now, does that mean they are well off being seed and leaving the foliage piled up won't cause other new plants to grow from it?
Also, does the plant grow only from it's seeds? Or is it one of these plants that will regrow from every tiny piece of root that's left?
I've looked up both questions but found no answers. Probably because they're stupid questions!
Ta
Sorry for the delay in responding.
Yes, I spent a few days getting it all up and out around this time last year. I should start by saying that in retrospect I wonder if I were a bit hasty. It's really hard to say, but I do slightly regret it because it is good for wildlife. As it stands, our dog is always on a lead in the garden because we're not fenced in, so she's safe. And we don't have children or other animals. I guess when we do get the garden secured there is always a small chance that the dog might eat some. And that was the thing that guided the decision in the end. But I would advise to have a good think about how totally necessary it is first.
That being said, you probably already have and just want me to share what I did!
I used a plastic dustbin and an old metal grid type bucket, the type used in fish n chip shops. I separated the foliage from the roots/fingers. The foliage went in the bin, while the roots went in the chip bucket so that I could swish it around to remove mud etc from them. The foliage I put into heaps in safe places to rot down, which didn't take long. The roots I laid out on a tarpaulin for a few weeks (actually, I can't remember for how long but it was a while). I covered them when it rained, and uncovered them when dry, in an attempt to dry them out as best I could. I then had a bonfire and burnt them bit by bit over the course of the evening (so that they were never the main thing burning).
As for safety... Starting at the finish with the fire, I read up as much as I could RE whether the fumes would be toxic. The consensus was yes, but I never got a definitive answer. So I took precautions by wearing a facemask, burning it in the hottest part of the fire, and making sure there was plenty of wood so that the hemlock could be put on in little bits. I did have a lot mind (the stream is around 400-500 metres).
Pulling the stuff up I double gloved, with marigolds on the inside and more heavy duty gauntlets on the outside. I wore eye protection and a face covering. Didn't wear a mask because it kept steaming up and proved to be a real pain. So I just had a scarf tied tightly. Even though it was really hot when I was working, I was sure to keep all parts of my body covered. I sweated like crazy, but then I guess that's not too relevant
Not long after having finished, I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn't look like me. It was the most bizarre thing! It took a few double takes to work out why, and after calling my partner through to take a look, we discovered the bridge of my nose had swollen. Being Italian I have a bit of a Roman nose, but for a few days I looked more like that young lad from the Cher film: Mask. OK, that's an exaggeration. But it's the first thing that came to mind when I saw my reflection staring back at me.
Was it the Hemlock? I really don't know, but it has never happened before or since, so I can only assume it was some kind of sinus reaction.
I would therefore take as many precautions as you can and take the stuff really seriously, not just because of my facial distortions, but because of all those other horror stories you hear about which no doubt brought you here.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
However both upstream and downstream my livestock farmer neighbours ignore it and are dismissive of my concerns. The cows eat it in the summer and my neighbours are still in business! Go figure.....
When I first encountered this plant I identified it from books (no internet back then.) So I just learned that it was 'poisonous to livestock', and out of consideration to my neighbours, have always removed it.
But reading various items online this morning I learned more about it, seeing it described as the most toxic plant in the UK etc.
But one blog, 'Let it grow' by Jeremy Bartlett mentions that small quantities can be eaten by cattle with no ill effects, and quotes an incidence of human ingestion of the roots in a curry where the diners became ill but survived thanks to medical treatment.
So I have learned a lot more about it this morning, and will not be quite as worried when I see the cows eating the foliage.
But I will still remove it from my land.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/11723/i-Oenanthe-crocata-i/Details
In the river I hand pulled everything which was fairly easy except for where it was growing through riverbank tree roots. Away from the watercourse I spot treated the leaves with weedkiller as there was so much of it then went through a couple of weeks later to dig out as much of the roots as I could. The next year 2021 there was about 50% regrowth and about 25% the year after. Each year it reduces a bit but you won't get all the roots out. A couple of years on I go up the river about twice a year to remove small plants coming downstream from neighbours and keep an eye on the rest of the land and whip them out before flowering. Its worth noting that the roots will survive on land in the open air quite happily - I've got some that were left in a pile waiting to be burnt (but werent) and they regrow each year!