So you're now an invasive management pro, always wearing your work gloves and carrying your Corona folding saw (not an official endorsement...) and pulling and cutting those darn invasives whenever and wherever you amble on your land. It's actually become something of a, how do you say, habit, fixation, almost addictive how satisfying it is to....ahem. Satisfying, for sure. You're now a part of the solution, a seasoned practitioner of landscape health. So let's up the game a little.
So - let's talk about woody stems that are too big to pull by the roots. (Go ahead, grab a chair and pop a beer, or Coke, or cider, or milk or prune juice....I love prune juice. No, really.) Buckthorn (common and glossy), honeysuckle, privet, burning bush, Russian olive, Norway maple, etc etc; anything with a woody stem that doesn't die off in the fall. Chances are real good you have at least one of these on your property, even if you live in suburbia. (I found a sizable buckthorn in my backyard that escaped detection until I learned how to identify them. It''s dead now, but there are large honeysuckles in my neighbors' yards I'm itching to pull.)
First off, if all you can manage is to cut something down, that’s a win. You stop seed production and open space for natives. However, after you cut down an invasive tree, shrub, or vine you will witness a characteristic shared by all woody NNIP’s (and one of the several reasons for their success): vigorous stump sprouting. A LOT of stump sprouting. So what do you do? Because if you just cut and walk away, that little so-and-so is going to grow back fast and thick, and in a few years it'll look as though you never did anything. So again - what to do?
The first option is to cut off the stump sprouts as often as possible, or, at least twice a year. It’s easy, just use a hand saw. This works great if you have ready access and a limited number of stems. I’ve found that if you knock the sprouts off as soon as they appear - weekly, monthly - the root system dies quickly; it’s expending a lot of energy to survive and getting no photosynthetic energy in return. But if you cut back the stump sprouts twice a year, the root system will die within a couple years. If you don’t cut back the sprouts at least that often, however, you can end up with zombie plants that never die. (Noone said this was simple or easy.)
Another option is cut stump treatment with herbicide. (Quick note: the following only applies to private landowners working on their own land. Anyone applying pesticides on someone else's land must be trained and certified by the state you live in.) Herbicide is extremely effective, and when used correctly can have very limited, if any, negative effects on the environment. (I'm referring only to glyphosate here, or Roundup.) I’ve used Roundup concentrate (on the shelf at Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply, etc.) which is 18% glyphosate, and it works. Order a Buckthorn Blaster online ( https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster ), they’re inexpensive and easy to use. And as always, take all precautions necessary when handling any herbicide. They are, after all, poisons....hold on, time for a safety check…..
Safety check Sal here. Read and know your local and state laws and regulations on private landowner use of herbicides, and READ THE LABEL of any herbicide you plan to use before you use it. Follow the label instructions and guidelines exactly - the label is the law.
Seriously, read the regs and label (available online) before you do anything, and read the Wikipedia page on glyphosate or whichever chemical you plan to use. The primary advantage to cut stump is the almost 100% kill rate. This means you don’t have to spend significant amounts of time and energy cutting back stump sprouts, which frees you for other pursuits. Most importantly, know your overall objectives and the pros and cons of the strategies that can help you get there. But read the label and know the laws regarding herbicide use if this is a method you're considering.
Other options include frequent brush hogging and/or mowing (i.e., monthly or bi-monthly); this works well with Asiatic bittersweet and multiflora rose, both of which re-sprout vigorously but do not like repeated mowing. (As a side note, the strategies I'm talking about here do not apply to rhizomatous grass species like Japanese knotweed and phragmites.) However you choose to do it, doing something to stop regrowth is required if you want long term control of woody stemmed invasives. Good luck, and happy hunting......
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