captain hook said:
MilkDud said:
I bought some olive trees, Russian, they have been banned in several states because they are so invasive. I bought them to make wind break. I've had them for 3 years now. They're about 4 foot tall and haven't spread any.
Exactly, some pencil pusher somewhere freaked out because they are an exotic and was concerned about them invading. They made snap judgements and banned them before doing any thorough research. I will say if they were invasive it would be a nightmare species.
You're showing your ignorance again CH. Take a little run up into southern Illinois and take a gander at whole fields of many acres completely taken over by autumn olive where a person couldn't walk through it and see if you can make that statement with a straight face. Talk to some of the farmers that fight the stuff on a regular basis and convince them it isn't invasive. But, hey, you got your slap in at another government employee!
For the past 6-7 years I've been making an annual trip up there about this time of year to do some work for a landowner friend that lets me and a couple of friends hunt his ground as a show of appreciation for what he does for us. With the exception of one year, the work he has wanted us to do was autumn olive eradication on some of his CRP ground that can't be bushhogged on a regular basis. Some of the stuff we cut has been at least 12" across the stump. To make sure it doesn't come back, all of the cuts have to be treated with a strong herbicide. If you miss one, you can count on it coming back within months.
There is no doubt that it favors open fields. But, you will find it thriving in in shaded areas as well. Up there any spot where a bird poops out a seed that gets some regular sunlight on the forest floor is a candidate for an autumn olive. We spent most of an afternoon last March cutting them out of a stand of white pines (20' at least)that had been planted as a wind break. Some were large enough to possibly have been growing when the pines were planted, but there was a bunch in there that I don't think had been there that long.
It doesn't spread like bermuda grass. But, when the birds get into the berries you can count on the seeds being spread. It may not be as much of a problem here with some of our poor rocky ground. But, on good ground where it is found, you will see it spread if you aren't mowing on a very regular basis.
Not invasive-LMAO.