My property is about 35 acres. Runs long and narrow along a ridge side. The bottom half is absolutely consumed with privet. The top half is hardwoods. While I'm not sure, I'm guessing the bottom section was heavily logged at some point allowing the privet to move in. Other than being very hard to kill, what's the reality of trying to kill out large swaths of privet? Let's say I'm able to get a good sized area killed out. Is it likely that I'll always be fighting to keep privet out of that section or is there a good chance of regeneration of naive species? Thanks
Controlling / Managing Privet
- Thread starter TTU
- Start date
@MickThompson is the man on this stuff.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
I need some help on this as well!
The last 78 ac I bought was raped by the loggers 4y before I bought it, and the woods were so grown up with privet the deer couldn't even move through it. I brought a forestry mulcher in to cut interior roads and make food plots which has helped tremendously, and while the untouched parts are incredible bedding areas, I don't need that much.
I'm thinking aireal spraying may be the way to go, as basal bark spraying by hand seems insurmountable. I just keep chipping away at small parts of this property each year, but it's a daunting task.
The last 78 ac I bought was raped by the loggers 4y before I bought it, and the woods were so grown up with privet the deer couldn't even move through it. I brought a forestry mulcher in to cut interior roads and make food plots which has helped tremendously, and while the untouched parts are incredible bedding areas, I don't need that much.
I'm thinking aireal spraying may be the way to go, as basal bark spraying by hand seems insurmountable. I just keep chipping away at small parts of this property each year, but it's a daunting task.
diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
What about fire?
wildlifefarmer
Well-Known Member
If it's on neighbor's property, you'll be fighting the stuff for always. I know cause I've been fighting this stuff for 20 years!!! You have to keep at it.
Thanks for the input. It's definitely on my neighor, which is the Corp of Engineers. I've only had the property two years. I'm making improvements but I've not started on the privet. There are heavily used trails going through it so my thought is they are using it for bedding or are at least comfortable moving through it. I have one sizeable food plot established below the privet and by this fall I should have a smaller plot established on the bench above the privet line.
atnvol
Well-Known Member
Most of the privett around is non-native Japanese privett. It is extremely invasive. The first sections to attack are the ones that bear the seed berries. A forestry mulcher is a great way to bring mature large sections back into control so that they can be managed.
Crossbow herbicide is a great way to get rid of brush type growth. You can buy it in 1 gallon containers from your local co op and you dont need a herbicide permit to do so. Spraying with a 15-25 gallon hand sprayer on a 4 wheeler or UTV works very well. Just do so when the wind is not blowing so that you dont get your spray mixture on yourself. You need what is called a surfactant which is basically dishwashing soap to add into the mixture to help it stick onto the brush. You can use dawn dishwashing detergent and add 2-3 ounces per 10 gallons of spray mix.
You can get rid of the privett but you have to stay after it. Once you get it in control you can hand treat sprouts when they get about 2-3 foot high by cutting them off near the ground and immediately put straight(non-diluted) 41% round up on the stump/nubbin. You will only need a very light squirt to cover the nub so I usually just put a little straight round up in a old squirt bottle. It you do this right after you cut it off the root will suck it right down and self eliminate.
Birds love the berries/seeds on privett and are the primary spreaders of this highly invasive species.
Crossbow herbicide is a great way to get rid of brush type growth. You can buy it in 1 gallon containers from your local co op and you dont need a herbicide permit to do so. Spraying with a 15-25 gallon hand sprayer on a 4 wheeler or UTV works very well. Just do so when the wind is not blowing so that you dont get your spray mixture on yourself. You need what is called a surfactant which is basically dishwashing soap to add into the mixture to help it stick onto the brush. You can use dawn dishwashing detergent and add 2-3 ounces per 10 gallons of spray mix.
You can get rid of the privett but you have to stay after it. Once you get it in control you can hand treat sprouts when they get about 2-3 foot high by cutting them off near the ground and immediately put straight(non-diluted) 41% round up on the stump/nubbin. You will only need a very light squirt to cover the nub so I usually just put a little straight round up in a old squirt bottle. It you do this right after you cut it off the root will suck it right down and self eliminate.
Birds love the berries/seeds on privett and are the primary spreaders of this highly invasive species.
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Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
I make a lap around the farm every summer focused on spraying privet, multifloral rose, and sericea lespedeza. On an atv it goes fast and does a pretty good job of keeping it knocked back. Keep your field edges mowed and maybe run a disk every few years to keep everything grassy/forby vs woody. Once your timber gets up and big enough it'll close canopy and privet won't be an issue. It's those areas that get lots of sunlight where privet can thrive if you don't stay on it.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
I think you're on to something here. I've heard of aerial spraying bush honeysuckle since it holds its leaves just long enough after the hardwoods drop. Great thing about privet is it usually has leaves all winter so you can use a stiff dose of glyphosate during a warm spell and knock it out.
I reach for basal oil when I have a thicket of small stems I can't get to with foliar
Good luck burning a privet thicket and if you do, it'll still sprout back. Hardwoods pretty require chemical treatments to kill
Moonman
Well-Known Member
We had about 35 acres and had great timber but allot of privet still. One late summer I had a team run through based on my forestry plan and hacked and squirted with imazypur. We've had to treat the small growth that sprouted back a couple years later with glysophate but we irwticates most of it. I would recommend getting a forestry plan and submitting to your local nrcs. In the plan have detailed instructions of eradication of invasive species and you can potentially get some aide. I'm not sure what part of the state your in but this helped me deal with privet along with maple, wild roses, sweet gum etc at the same time.
GOODWIN
Well-Known Member
I know deer eat it. How nutritious is it?
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
It's actually high in protein and quite preferred by deer late season after hard freezes kill most other native vegetation. Probably close to the same level as honeysuckle. Especially the younger shrubs. But the downsides of it's damage to the forest from how aggressively invasive it is far outweigh it's benefits IMO.
