To kill a buddleia

Jul 30, 2014 6 Replies

How to kill a buddleia?



It's growing in the 8" gap between the greenhouse and the boundary fence (sheep netting). It's distorted the greenhouse frame, breaking one of the panes. I've hacked back the buddleia and replaced the pane.



Knowing that buddleias like a good prune I'm assuming it's likely to carry on growing and cause more damage, so I'd like to kill it. First thoughts are chemical, but I don't know what to use and how to apply it.



Ideas?


Glyphosate or any other weedkiller whenever you happen to be using it every few weeks will see it off. Bark ringing will slow it down too.

I use the same trick on awkward to reach small trees that get too big to pull out or are somewhere I can't reach or dig without damaging something precious. Just protect anything you like from the spray.

Regards, Martin Brown

Once you have got some leaves back on it, try glyphosate or my favourite which works on stubborn things including Ivy is a mix of the above and ammonium sulphamate. The latter used to be sold under the name root out but can be bought on ebay as a compost accelerator. It is now outlawed for use as a weed killer but often the suppliers helpfully leave the full instruction in the pack for both applications.

Cut it off and paint "Roundup" on the cut stems. Kills it easy,

In message , Mike Barnes writes

Prune it right back in November and hope we have a hard winter.

Hard pruning will just encourage it! Local garden centre does this to theirs every year so that the bulbs under it get a fair showing.

They are presently taller than I am and in full flower.

Chemical warfare is the only way. Look at the railway embankments!

Regards, Martin Brown

We use timbrel, glyphosate is poor in comparison. However it has been withdrawn and if you find someone with some it needs to be used by November.

We do lots of it on brickwork arches leading to London.

AJH

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