Shohin Buckthorn

[Woocash]

Blimey, that is prodigious seed!

Part of what my girlfriend does is new meadow creation. Essentially, reclaiming land from all the grasses which have been able to proliferate thanks to human effects on it. The whole process is started by thickly sowing Yellow Rattle, Rhinanthus Minor, a native wildflower which effectively taps in to grass roots, feeding off the grasses, inhibiting growth and making space for more native wildflowers to recolonise.

I realise grasses and trees are totally different beasts, so to speak, but I wonder if you have some local native flora or fauna which could help to do the same somehow. Or is slash and burn the only control measure possible?

So weird. We have so many more species likely to take over and I have seen very few young plants. I’m surprised they even get going in the first place.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

In EU buckthorn is not as aggressive.

Here in North America, there is nothing that can outcompete it. I believe there has been some efforts looking into importing one insect or another to control it. But I have not heard of any results. Often insect importations prove as disastrous or more so than the original problem.

Manual labor and herbicides are the only way to control buckthorn. Up in the northern half of USA buckthorn is our kudzu. In the southern USA the kudzu vine is overtaking huge areas. Another species for manual labor and herbicides. Half of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are nothing but kudzu.

 

[CasAH]

I have been doing prairie restoration in the Chicago area for 30 years. I have killed tens of thousands of buckthorn. We cut and herbicide it all fall and winter. We also do controlled burns to control the small ones and re sprouts. It has taken me 28 years to clear 80 acres of buckthorn and honeysuckle.

 

[Woocash]

In EU buckthorn is not as aggressive.

Here in North America, there is nothing that can outcompete it. I believe there has been some efforts looking into importing one insect or another to control it. But I have not heard of any results. Often insect importations prove as disastrous or more so than the original problem.

Manual labor and herbicides are the only way to control buckthorn. Up in the northern half of USA buckthorn is our kudzu. In the southern USA the kudzu vine is overtaking huge areas. Another species for manual labor and herbicides. Half of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are nothing but kudzu.

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly....

 

[Haines' Trees]

I clicked on this thread because I didn't know what a buckthorn was

...and in Naperville of all places! I grew up in St. Charles

Right now it is too early to comment on much other than - grats on not killing it! My only other point - make sure you wire your apex to the right to balance your design.

Per the Nut’s advice, I’ve taken some of the higher up growth as well as the small branch in the middle and shifted them towards the right.

There we go, couldn’t get the picture to upload!

It looks sort of awkward because the leaves are tilted due to the wiring but they should hopefully shift their position in a couple days. The wiring is so-so, please excuse it. My clunky fingers don’t do well with 1mm haha