Cut Stump Treatment

Species used on: All species of woody shrubs, trees and vines. Includes buckthorn, honeysuckle, autumn olive, tree of heaven, common privet, burning bush, barberry, oriental bittersweet, multi-flora rose, grape vine plus others.

Treatment description: Cut woody stem as close to ground level as is reasonable, immediately spray cut surface with a solution of 10% gyphosate (Round-up). Solution can vary from 5 to 15%. Most efficient application devise is a hand held spray bottle. Spray entire surface with herbicide. Add a colored dye to the herbicide to indicate the stem has been previously treated. Treatment can be made any time of the year spring, summer, fall and winter with nearly 100% mortality. Mortality may be reduced in spring when the sap is running. In winter when temperatures are below freezing dilute herbicide with windshield wiper fluid to prevent spray bottle from freezing.

For large infestations covering many acres use a forest clearing saw, next best option is a light weight chain saw. Hand tools such as loppers and hand saws naturally limit the size and number of stems that can be treated compared to power tools.

Foliar Spray

Species used on: The majority of species of woody shrubs, vines and perennials. A foliar spray is the best method to use for multi-flora rose. It is very effective on all sizes of multi-flora rose and gives quick control. Small honeysuckle, common privet, burning bush, barberry, and oriental bittersweet that are too small to efficiently control using a cut stem treatment are best treated with a foliar spray. A foliar spray is the only effective treatment for most perennial invasive plants

Treatment description: Mix a 1.5 to 2% solution of glyphosate. Cover the majority of foliage of each plant but not to the point of runoff. Spray from late spring through early fall during active plant growth but before the leaves change color.

Mid to late summer is the best time to treat as the herbicide readily translocates to the roots.

A small 3 to 5 gallon backpack sprayer is generally used to deliver the spray. A spray bottle can be used for small areas or to target specific small plants.

Basal Bark Spray

Species used on: Basal bark sprays are best reserved for medium to large species of woody shrubs and trees that are too large to control using the cut stem method. Buckthorn, autumn olive, honeysuckle and ailanthus are the primary species for treatment. A basal bark spray kills the shrub or tree standing in place. A basal bark spray takes the least amount of time to control larger plants. The plant may take from a few weeks to a couple of months to develop symptoms and completely die and on large multi-stemmed plants complete mortality may be delayed for a year or more.

Mix a 20-25% solution or 1 part Garlon-4 with 3 parts bark oil blue. Diesel fuel can also be used instead of bark oil blue. The oil mix is sprayed on the bottom part of the trunk from 12 to 18” from the ground. Spray around the entire circumference of the stem. On multiple trunks spray between the stems as well. A small backpack sprayer can be used or a spray bottle works just fine and is easy to carry around. Treatment can be done from late spring through the winter months with equally good control.

Stem Injection

Stem injection is used primarily for Japanese knotweed and sometimes for Phragmites.

A stem injection tool is used, JK injection system from JK International, LLC. The needle is pushed into the stem of the plant the trigger is squeezed injecting a measured dose of herbicide inside of the stem. Each stem is individually treated. The herbicide is then translocated to the root system killing the plant.

Control Materials

Spray dye indicator – a concentrated liquid blue dye for mixing with herbicide sprays

Bark oil blue from Crop Protection Services used for basal bark sprays

Triclopyr active ingredient in Garlon-4, Crossbow used in basal bark sprays

Glyphosate active ingredient in many systemic herbicides used for cut stump treatment and foliar sprays

Invasive plants and most efficient control methods

Basal bark spray – BBS, Cut stump treatment – CST, Foliar spray – FS, Stem injection – SI Hand pulling - HP

Autumn olive: BBS for large stems, CST for small, medium and large stems

European buckthorn: BBS for large stems, CST for small to medium stems

Ailanthus: BBS for large, medium and small stems. CST for small stems.

Honeysuckle: CST for large to medium plants, FS for small to medium plants

Multi-flora rose: FS for large, medium and small plants in leaf, CST for small to medium plants

Oriental bittersweet: CST for large to medium vines, FS for small vines in leaf, HP for small vines.

Grape vine: CST for large to medium vines.

Poison ivy: CST for large to medium vines climbing trees. FS for plants on ground.

Common privet: CST for large to medium stems, FS or HP for small plants

Burning bush: CST for large to medium stems, FS or HP for small plants

Japanese barberry: CST for large to medium plants, FS for medium to small plants, HP for small plants.

Japanese knotweed: CST followed by FP for large infestations, SI for small infestations

Pale swallowwort: FS for all infestations.