triclopyr use on invasive wild cherry trees and volunteer oak trees in blueberry patch and azaleas - Ask Extension
1. I have been trying to eliminate invasive wild cherry trees and their roots that spread laterally underground, from which new sprouts/trees grow, by...
Knowledgebase
triclopyr use on invasive wild cherry trees and volunteer oak trees in blueberry patch and azaleas #869681
Asked May 22, 2024, 7:18 PM EDT
1. I have been trying to eliminate invasive wild cherry trees and their roots that spread laterally underground, from which new sprouts/trees grow, by digging them out. It hasn't been a solution. I want to try using triclopyr herbicide in a controlled way by cutting off the top of each stem/trunk and using a brush to paint triclopyr across the fresh cut.
These cherry trees are all around my blueberry patch, which makes me worry about using triclopyr. Will that poison, applied only as described, kill the blueberries by migrating from the cherry tree roots into the roots of the blueberries?
2. Also, squirrels bury acorns inside my large azalea bushes and hedges. I keep cutting off the tops of the oak trees when they become visible, but at least 2 of these oaks now have short trunks that are 3-4 inches in diameter. Will using the technique with triclopyr described above migrate to azalea roots and kill them?
3. Other ideas for removing the wild cherry trees and squirrel planted oak trees?
Thank you!
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Question 1: Yes, treatment of the cut surface of a wild cherry with triclopyr should be very effective and will not travel from the cherry to other plants via root systems. Best time for use is from now through early fall. However, if it is a warm or hot day or a windy day, triclopyr is quite volatile in many of the formulations. I would not use it if is windy and/or temperatures will be 72 degrees F or more in the next 10-12 hours after application. Evening treatment can help you work around volatility issues. People have had to pay for neighbors outdoor plants or greenhouse plants from the compound wandering off site.
Question 2: Same answer as question 1. Done right it can be quite effective on oaks with the same precautions.
Question 3: Glyphosate (Roundup) will work in the fall but not now. It is not volatile so doesn't move so easily off site on a "brush-on" treatment.
As always, read the labels carefully before purchase and use. Hope this helps.
Chip Bubl OSU Extension/Columbia County (retired)
<personal data hidden>
Question 2: Same answer as question 1. Done right it can be quite effective on oaks with the same precautions.
Question 3: Glyphosate (Roundup) will work in the fall but not now. It is not volatile so doesn't move so easily off site on a "brush-on" treatment.
As always, read the labels carefully before purchase and use. Hope this helps.
Chip Bubl OSU Extension/Columbia County (retired)
<personal data hidden>
Thank you for your most helpful, detailed response!
Lee Ann Bourcier
On May 28, 2024, at 3:30 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
You are welcome, Lee Ann. Chip
