I have a fair amount of this stuff on my property. It is extremely think and appears that it would be a good bedding area for deer. Is that true? The majority of it is located in placed where it would be hard to get to if I did want to cut it? Is this stuff really that bad to have on your property?
SEIowaDeerslayer
Well-Known Member
I'd actually be interested in some answers as well. We have a ton of the stuff all over our property, it stays green well past anything else and has red berries that I've seen deer and birds eat. Creates some nice cover but I will get rid of it if it is harmful in any way.
letemgrow
PMA Member
Yes its terrible for your property....and the neighbors since birds carry the seeds to other places. It will end up taking over your whole timber. Its is a pretty bad INVASIVE.
There are great native options for bedding....get rid of it while you have a chance.
http://mdc.mo.gov/blogs/more-quail/whack-bush-honeysuckle-now
http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/in...ve-plant-management/bush-honeysuckles-control
http://mdc.mo.gov/blogs/fresh-afield/when-green-no-good
There are great native options for bedding....get rid of it while you have a chance.
http://mdc.mo.gov/blogs/more-quail/whack-bush-honeysuckle-now
http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/in...ve-plant-management/bush-honeysuckles-control
http://mdc.mo.gov/blogs/fresh-afield/when-green-no-good
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DWilk
Active Member
Summary........... bad.
It has value, sure. It creates low-level visual barriers, etc., but it is a huge net-negative to a property.
The quicker you get after killing it the better. It is a pain in the rear end no doubt!
A good strategy is to foliar-spray in the fall when other plants have gone dormant. It takes some commitment to get rid of.... nasty stuff.
It has value, sure. It creates low-level visual barriers, etc., but it is a huge net-negative to a property.
The quicker you get after killing it the better. It is a pain in the rear end no doubt!
A good strategy is to foliar-spray in the fall when other plants have gone dormant. It takes some commitment to get rid of.... nasty stuff.
Great! Something else to put on the to do list besides cutting a XXap load of ironwood and other trees, getting plots ready for planting, and figuting out how to get things done with a newborn. I'm afraid if it all gets cut down that there will a ton less bedding on my property.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
honeysuckle
We planted honeysuckle as part of a CRP plan in MN in 2001 or 2002. The stuff grew up into a great shrub line. So far no invasive issues. Does anyone know which type of honeysuckle this would be, I have nothing in my file that shows specifics...it just says honeysuckle?
I do not think if was bush honeysuckle. It is about 8-10 feet tall and spread out pretty nice. The pheasant loves it!
We planted honeysuckle as part of a CRP plan in MN in 2001 or 2002. The stuff grew up into a great shrub line. So far no invasive issues. Does anyone know which type of honeysuckle this would be, I have nothing in my file that shows specifics...it just says honeysuckle?
I do not think if was bush honeysuckle. It is about 8-10 feet tall and spread out pretty nice. The pheasant loves it!
SEIowaDeerslayer
Well-Known Member
I bet we literally have 1,000 of these bushes on our farm. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. Do you treat them just like any other tree? Cut and then squirt with tordon or straight roundup?
letemgrow
PMA Member
Exactly, it greens up first and quits growing last. Over time, that means it always has the jump on everything else including young oak seedlings...which the bush honeysuckle will shade out.
letemgrow
PMA Member
There is a native bush honeysuckle....I doubt that is what you planted tho.
It may not be nearly as aggressive that far north, but runs the show in the woods down here.
DWilk
Active Member
Honeysuckle can have so many stems that cutting and treating the stump is difficult. I've heard of good success using a backpack sprayer in the fall while still green (and maybe a step stool for us short guys :grin
I've contemplated mowing it, waiting for regrowth and then nuking it with roundup as well, but never tried it.... man what a guy could do with a good forestry mower!
Big picture... bush honeysuckle is worse than ironwood. Ironwood is undesirable no doubt, but it is native and can be controlled with proper treatments... often times a single cutting combined with some increased light through the canopy will severely limit its impact in a woodland. Ironwood is really just another step in the successional ladder of a forest.... succession can be manipulated.
Honeysuckle, on the other hand, is non-native, grows fast in the shade and sunlight (unlike ironwood), and is adaptable to really wide range of sites. In my opinion, if you have bad honeysuckle issues, it is important to get it controlled before doing any other TSI work because once it gets sun, it will continue to flourish (and spread terrible fast) and like stated previously, is very difficult to control.
Honeysuckle was one of those stupid things we (people) can blame ourselves for, but it might be the biggest contributor to the 'stick to natives' argument.
I've contemplated mowing it, waiting for regrowth and then nuking it with roundup as well, but never tried it.... man what a guy could do with a good forestry mower!
Big picture... bush honeysuckle is worse than ironwood. Ironwood is undesirable no doubt, but it is native and can be controlled with proper treatments... often times a single cutting combined with some increased light through the canopy will severely limit its impact in a woodland. Ironwood is really just another step in the successional ladder of a forest.... succession can be manipulated.
Honeysuckle, on the other hand, is non-native, grows fast in the shade and sunlight (unlike ironwood), and is adaptable to really wide range of sites. In my opinion, if you have bad honeysuckle issues, it is important to get it controlled before doing any other TSI work because once it gets sun, it will continue to flourish (and spread terrible fast) and like stated previously, is very difficult to control.
Honeysuckle was one of those stupid things we (people) can blame ourselves for, but it might be the biggest contributor to the 'stick to natives' argument.
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jw_wildfire
New Member
Easiest control method = repeated prescribed fire. If you have enough of a fuel load (dead leaves) to carry a fire, burn the site for a couple of years in a row. It will top kill the plant the first year, but will sprout back the next. I think if you are aggressive you could foliar spray the resprouts with roundup you could knock it back with relatively little effort.
Exotic species such as honeysuckle and buckthorn are a huge threat to the long term viability of the forest. They are very shade tolerant and have to ability to produce prolific seed crops. They can easily and quickly take over the understory, shading out the very shade intolerant oak and hickory.
Exotic species such as honeysuckle and buckthorn are a huge threat to the long term viability of the forest. They are very shade tolerant and have to ability to produce prolific seed crops. They can easily and quickly take over the understory, shading out the very shade intolerant oak and hickory.
Daver
PMA Member
Interesting...I don't know for sure if I have a honeysuckle problem or not. But a few years ago I had a bulldozer clear a field and it made a brushpile on the one end. The next year I had something "new" growing up through the brush in the brushpile that resembles the pictures attached to this thread.
Thankfully, it has not spread that I know of and I will certainly be checking it pretty close this year to make sure it doesn't. Are there other harmless honeysuckle look-a-likes?
Thankfully, it has not spread that I know of and I will certainly be checking it pretty close this year to make sure it doesn't. Are there other harmless honeysuckle look-a-likes?
