01/12/2025

Better wetting, penetration with Holdfast penetrant and visibility with Rhodamine spray marking dye.

Summer is the prime window for treating blackberry, gorse, broom, bracken, ragwort and scattered woody regrowth across grazing country. These weeds reduce pasture productivity, restrict access and increase fire risk. While herbicide choice is important, some treatment failures come down to something simpler: poor application and penetration.

This is why more spray contractors support their woody-weed mixes with:

Holdfast Penetrant & Wetting Agent for herbicide spread and penetration:

Rhodamine Red Spray Marker Dye for spray marking.

These products don’t replace the herbicide — they help the spray do its job, improving coverage, penetration and accuracy when used according to their labels.

Holdfast: Improved wetting and penetration on tough woody foliage

Species like blackberry, gorse and bracken are hard to wet because of their thick canopies and waxy leaf surfaces. When droplets bead, bounce or roll off, less herbicide reaches the foliage and stems where uptake occurs.

Holdfast is a non-ionic wetting agent and penetrant designed to:

• Improve wetting and spreading of spray droplets (Check out the comparison in Image 1)
• Enhance penetration into plant foliage
• Assist control of tough, difficult-to-wet broadleaf and woody weeds, including blackberry, gorse and bracken (when used in conjunction with a registered herbicide)

Holdfast can be used with a range of agricultural chemicals as directed by the label. This makes it a practical addition to commonly used woody-weed herbicides such as triclopyr/picloram (Weed Force Gusto), metsulfuron, Glyphosate (Weed Force Evict Bio 360) and other registered products. Always follow the label of both the herbicide and Holdfast.

Rhodamine: Help avoid missed patches and the frustration of respraying

Anyone who has sprayed blackberry, gorse or thick woody regrowth with a high volume handgun knows how easy it is to lose track of what has and hasn’t been covered. Dense multi-stemmed bushes, steep angles, shadows and awkward terrain make it simple to miss a strip or skip a whole side of a plant without realising—until you return weeks later and see the green escapes.

That’s why many spray contractors add a marking dye like Rhodamine Red Spray Marker Dye to their woody-weed mixes. The dye colours the spray solution a bright red/pink colour, making it easy to see exactly where each pass has landed.

Using Rhodamine Red spray marker dye helps operators:

• Avoid the headaches of missing patches hidden in dense foliage
• Reduce the need to come back later to retreat escapes
• Minimise overlaps and double-ups, saving time and money
• Work more confidently knowing you have a way of tracking where you’ve sprayed.

Supporting good herbicide performance

There are many factors that influence how well woody weeds respond to herbicide treatments. Some of these you have control over like:
Adding Holdfast: Which helps each droplet spread and penetrate tough woody foliage, improving herbicide uptake and coverage.

Adding Rhodamine Red: Which helps you identify where you have treated, reducing misses and the need to come back later.

Used according to the Label of the Herbicide and spray additive (Hold Fast/Rhodamine), these two simple additions support better coverage, better penetration and far more confidence in the job—so each summer spray round delivers the results it should.

*DISCLAIMER:

The information provided in this article is intended as a guide only. Information contained in this article has been provided by the manufacturer/ You should not rely on the information in this article, and it should not be considered advice. You should seek professional advice regarding relevant factors specific to your situation. This article does not take into account variable conditions that may impact performance. Always read and follow label directions before using any product in this article. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Nutrien Ag Solutions Limited and its related associated entities will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by any person arising out of any reliance on any information contained in this article.