When we built our house, we moved in hoping we were free from maintenance for at least 5 years. In a few months, we start noticing a ding in the crown molding, a missing window screen, and then the worst; the light bulbs start going out. As soon as you tackle all of the little maintenance issues, next thing you know it’s been 5 years and an appliance goes out and the process of replacing your new house begins. As the saying goes, “you don’t own a house, a house owns you.” In the ROW Veg Management world, maintaining a circuit can be a mirror image of this scenario.
 
If all goes well, the circuits that you’re trimming this year will hold their clearance and you’ll be able to return to them at their designated time. However, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to do maintenance within the next two years before you come back on a 4-5 year cycle for that major overhaul. The culprits are fast growing tree species and those darn vines. The word “cycle” has become an ambivalent term, especially if you’re allowing nature to define what a cycle is. It’s time to take the reigns on your VM program.
 
Edko has aided many VM programs by utilizing mid-cycle applications. During this time you’re able to cover a lot of line miles by attacking cycle-busting trees, brush, and yes, getting rid of those menacing vines. The tools we use for this mid-cycle sweep are tree growth regulator, low-volume foliar, and basal applications. With this approach you’re not only able to maintain your clearance goals, but also control cycle length.
 
The best part about controlling your cycles is that you reach a point in your program where you’re able to claim clearance and reliability on lines that you’re not even touching that year, saving you not only budget dollars but also time and sanity. So the question is, do you want to decide the length of your cycles or do you want nature to make that decision for you? Call Edko and let us help you manage your vegetation before vegetation manages you.