I have a problem with European Privet, Ligustrum vulgare, on my property. I injected some clumps of the stuff with Tordon 101 M this September, but I have not seen much effect from the herbicide yet. Tordon wipes out most anything that I inject it in pretty quickly. I used a 50% solution in water and used a cut-and-squirt method with a hatchet. I may have to wait until next spring to see if the Tordon does the job. However, I wanted to ask if anyone had experience with privet and what might be a good method to control it (for the non-environmental types, "control it" means "kill it".
Spray it or Dig it out -- I'm fighting the same battle with chinese privet. I either pop out the larger clumps with my FEL or hook a chain to the base and pull it out then it's burn baby burn. Smaller patches I have had success in kiling by spraying with Remedy
www.samab.org/Focus/Invasive/CEPrivet/ceprivet.html
Thanks Bushhog. It might be easier to just puill them up with my tractor and a chain since they are growing in clumps. I think that they are pretty shallow rooted and easy to pull up, right?
If you use a slip yoke/collar on your chain the chain will tighten up against the base of the clump and hold pretty good allowing you to pop them right out.
I have a toothbar on my FEL that is pretty handy too for getting under the roots and popping the clumps out. Some of my clumps are about 2ft in dia. at the base - they are a little tougher to deal with. The thing about privet, that I'm sure you already know, is that most of the growth is all intertwined and when you cut it off at the ground you need a FEL to move it anyway because it is tough to separate and move by hand.
Some of the areas I am working I have no choice but to cut and then spray. You can use Remedy mixed with Veg Oil at about 3:1 ratio to spray the cut stump with if there is no foilage on the privet when you cut it. Otherwise the foliar spray treatment works pretty good too - you may need to spray it more than once though to get it all.
I've got some oriental bittersweet and russian olives to deal with too - hope you don't have those.
No, only the privet and some hardwood. This in a area cleared as wildlife openings for the CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) that have to be maintained in early-successional vegetation, essential free of trees and large brush. I will look into the Remedy if I am not able to pull them up and burn them.
My perfered method for privet is a box blade on a tractor if it is in an open area. If not, then I use a tractor and chain. They are fairly shallow rooted and come out fairly easy for their size. That will not completely get rid if it but mowing will help keep it under control. I have not tried using a foliage treatment but have heard that Arsenal works. I have used 2-4-D (12%) not diluted as a stump treatment. In the future I would probably use 2-4-D 50% as it is only $37 for 2 1/2 gal at the co-op.
I've had luck with 2-4-D as well. I use it as a foliage spray and as a stump treatment. I mix it according to the included instructions. My price is the same as Pinenut's. I also add an oil based bonding agent with it.
Stew