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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem XI - Buckthorn Removal REMOVAL TIPS IfYO u cut down a buckthorn plant be sure to kill the plant by applying an herbicide to the freshly cut stump. If you don't treat the stump it will grow back almost immediately with 3 — 8 sprouts of growth making the problem 3 — 8 times worse. Don't cut down buckthorn unless you plan to treat it with an herbicide. If you only have the time to cut down a few plants in and around your yard focus on the female plants. They have the berries which contain the berries/seeds. If you cut down 5-10 female plants each year in your area you will make a huge in slowing the spread of buckthorn. j, Cut-Stump Method. The most popular herbicide used to kill buckthorn is Round Up Plus Concentrate. Make sure that the herbicide you purchase is at least 18%—20% glyphosate. Use it undiluted. If you find glyphosate at 40% strength use a 50—50 mix of water and herbicide. Use a paint brush to apply to the herbicide to freshly cut buckthorn. This will kill the plant. 1, The best time of the year to use the cut-stump method is late July through February. During this time of the year the sap is flowing back down in to the root zone. You can still use the cut stump method from March through Mid-July. During this time the sap is flowing outward towards the branches and you will not have as high of a kill rate. .... Use a large pliers to pull smaller buckthorn out of the ground. (8"—30"plants) This is easier to do when the ground is wet. Pulling the small plants out during this stage of growth is a lot easier than removing larger plants. i cilk,r lih, i I �t[ 1"j The best time to kill buckthorn with a foliar herbicide is during the late summer and fall months. The plants are slightly stressed and the sap is flowing back towards the roots. Use recommended application rates found on the side of any vegetation killer herbicide. Make sure you are careful to keep the herbicide off of the native plants in the area. Do it on a calm day with no wind. 1 1, ip After you remove the established growth it is important to kill any new growth on a yearly basis. Buckthorn seeds are viable in the ground for up to 5 years. After a few years the amount of new growth will decrease on a yearly basis until there are no more seeds left to germinate. If you have a large area infested with buckthorn don't be overwhelmed. Set realistic yearly goals. Try to remove buckthorn 10—20 feet at a time. Start by any existing trail and work your way out. Go back year after year and continue to make new progress. i! Ifyou are removing buckthorn on private property you should consider burning the cut buckthorn. Buckthorn easily bums within 6-8weeks after being cut. it "if, 0i +) If you don't have any herbicide to kill the buck you can cover the cut stumps with athick plastic. You'll need to weigh down the plastic with something like rocks. You can also use old soup cans tncover cut stumps. The stump needs tmbmcut close to the ground so the soup can imburied in the ground at least l inch. MOTE: Per discussion with Neil Diboll of Prairie Nursery, replanting over an area cleared of Buckthorn is not required, but... You need to revisit the site to check for what has happened since the remova I project to look for regrowth. Did some ofthe buckthorn roots survive? Aothe seeds ofbuckthorn remain viable for years, did these spout? Are other plants like Garlic Mustard now taking root? A cover crop can retard re-growths like this if the land is suited to grow the cover crops. Two goto plants are Wild Ginger and Pennsylvania Sedge. Check with the plant vendor to discuss the amount of shade and soil conditions ofthe removal site.