Question emailed to the MyWoodlot Team:
I own 4 acres in Ohio and have been slowly but steadily removing honeysuckle for the last 3 years (by hand!). I have dug them out by the roots or cut them low followed by drilling holes in them and pouring in an herbicide to kill the plant (but left the dead plant). I read recently that you can cut the honeysuckle back when it's dormant then paint the freshly cut end with an herbicide to kill it, but how does that work? I thought that if the plant was dormant it wouldn't absorb the herbicide. Any recommendations on which products work best to achieve this (if it's possible)?
Also, I have some relatively steep grade hillsides that I'm beginning to remove honeysuckle from, but am worried about erosion. Should I kill of the plants or just cut them back every few years so the rain doesn't wash away the first towards my creek. Thanks for any help!! (Mark from Ohio)
I own 4 acres in Ohio and have been slowly but steadily removing honeysuckle for the last 3 years (by hand!). I have dug them out by the roots or cut them low followed by drilling holes in them and pouring in an herbicide to kill the plant (but left the dead plant). I read recently that you can cut the honeysuckle back when it's dormant then paint the freshly cut end with an herbicide to kill it, but how does that work? I thought that if the plant was dormant it wouldn't absorb the herbicide. Any recommendations on which products work best to achieve this (if it's possible)?
Also, I have some relatively steep grade hillsides that I'm beginning to remove honeysuckle from, but am worried about erosion. Should I kill of the plants or just cut them back every few years so the rain doesn't wash away the first towards my creek. Thanks for any help!! (Mark from Ohio)
Hi Mark, I'm dealing with a similar situation on my property, so here's what I've learned.
You can certainly do the "cut and paint" method, but just follow these tips: only do this when not frozen, and when not a drought, and immediately paint the herbicide onto the cut stem. So, this technique is actually best done early spring through mid fall.
The main advantage of cutting the plant down to the ground (if you don't simply paint the stem) is that the plant has to expend energy on sprouting (which weakens it) and you then only have to treat the sprouts instead of the large plant which you have just cut. The sprouts can then be treated with herbicide.
Digging up the honeysuckle is fine, but I'd recommend immediately tossing down some grass seed (like a conservation mix you get at a hardware store) and some shredded straw. This will help prevent the erosion. You could even replant the spot with natives.
I like your idea of doing the project in stages to help protect the hillside. Maybe work cross-slope (along the contour) and take a pass or two, then wait 1 year before doing another pass. This allows vegetation to become reestablished before you remove more honeysuckle.
I've attached this Ohio-based factsheet on controlling honeysuckle. Pages 3-5 cover control methods, including the "cut and paint". The section on the herbicides will be especially important (since I'm in NY, I'm not familiar with Ohio's regulations on this).
ohio honeysuckle.pdf
You can certainly do the "cut and paint" method, but just follow these tips: only do this when not frozen, and when not a drought, and immediately paint the herbicide onto the cut stem. So, this technique is actually best done early spring through mid fall.
The main advantage of cutting the plant down to the ground (if you don't simply paint the stem) is that the plant has to expend energy on sprouting (which weakens it) and you then only have to treat the sprouts instead of the large plant which you have just cut. The sprouts can then be treated with herbicide.
Digging up the honeysuckle is fine, but I'd recommend immediately tossing down some grass seed (like a conservation mix you get at a hardware store) and some shredded straw. This will help prevent the erosion. You could even replant the spot with natives.
I like your idea of doing the project in stages to help protect the hillside. Maybe work cross-slope (along the contour) and take a pass or two, then wait 1 year before doing another pass. This allows vegetation to become reestablished before you remove more honeysuckle.
I've attached this Ohio-based factsheet on controlling honeysuckle. Pages 3-5 cover control methods, including the "cut and paint". The section on the herbicides will be especially important (since I'm in NY, I'm not familiar with Ohio's regulations on this).
ohio honeysuckle.pdf
Thanks for the wonderful information. My uncle was looking for the same. After trying all the methods, he was successful to some extent. These additional tips would be more useful to him. Also, to protect his garden from the other pests he is planning to consult Pest Control New Castle CA like professionals to get some organic pest control tips.
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