Serrated Tussock is a huge problem in the central west of NSW, It’s an extremely hardy plant and can grow almost anywhere! What makes it so damaging is, if left un-treated can take over large areas of valuable grazing land making it unusable and dangerous to stock.
When green pasture grass or hay is present, sheep aren’t likely to eat Serrated Tussock. But when good feed starts to become scarce, stock will definately have a go at it!
The problem is once eaten, stock have trouble digesting Serrated tussock, resulting in the animal starving to death due to bloating and loss of apetite.

What makes Serrated tussock so tough to treat is it gets into difficult spots! Hilly, Rocky terrain is some of it’s favorite areas. It also has hundreds of seeds per plant and if left to its own devices can spread like wildfire.
There are basically three options when it comes to chemical intervention for Serrated tussock. All these options are available with my Mighty DJI T40 Application drone.

Liquid Flupropanate, is well known for targeting various grass weeds including Serrated Tussock. Branded as “Taskforce” or “Tussock” The selective herbicide is applied to soil and absorbed through the root system. Results can be seen once the plants are flowering.

Granulated Flupropanate or GP (Granulated Products) Flupropanate is a solid Granule version. This product is spread around the treatment site, and timing is critical. The application of these granules are to be timed with rain, as they are dissolved into the soil and the mode of action is similar to it’s liquid version.

The Granules can be spread on a larger scale by drone, and YES I have a spreader attachment!
Both Flupropanate products have been unavailable over the last three years, but are now back in stock!
Glyphosate is also an effective treatment, which was often used to treat Serrated tussock when Flupropanate was unavailable. But the problem is it’s not selective and will likely kill desirable plant species.
Treating Serrated Tussock by drone is a game changer! because large difficult areas can be effectively hit, which helps to eradicate this nasty weed.