Go figure

[Dave Grubb]

I am sitting here looking out back, it is near dark and there is a doe eating on a multiflora rose

God was having a bad day when he came up with that hateful devil of a plant

My bird friends seed them for me and then every couple of years I dig them out with a backhoe and bury them.

This bimbo just came from lush grass and now wants to tempt fate with the thorns from hell----women!

[Mike]

I had to look it up. Fortunately, I am not familiar with them.

[UTAH]

My friend Wikipedia says:

"Multiflora rose is very difficult to completely eradicate both individually and on a landscape-wide scale. They are prolific seeders and also aggressively expand through layering."

In other words, good luck, Dave.

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

I have been actively engaged in the effort for 40 years! I'm holding my own but any apparent eradication is reversed the next spring

I hate to say this but there was a time that my Father, who was very much involved in the Soil Conservation Service, actively promoted planting multiflora rose as a "living fence", impenetrable for livestock and providing great cover for wildlife. They forgot to mention that driving past one of those "fences" on a tractor could endanger your life!


It didn't take long to go from a grand new natural option to a scourge and be classified as invasive

[UTAH]

I like the way you're seeing this one, Dave. It reminds me how Europeans used hedgerows. In effect, using plants to segregate and secure areas.

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

This was a massive "experiment" that was poorly thought out. The simple fact that a bird, after dining on the hips could seed new startups, at will, anywhere they happened to pass the seeds---which could be in the middle of fields was completely missed. The fact that these new "fences" spread in width, thus stealing farmland was another missed detail.

With half the facts, it seemed like an excellent idea

[Sandman]

Also had to ask Mr. Google.. somehow the Multifloral Rose has missed us.. I did notice that it’s classified as an invasive species..

Honeysuckle is our problem.. it spreads everywhere.. so I asked Mr Google about honeysuckle.. they actually sell honeysuckle!!, maybe I’d you didn’t mess things up enough planting bamboo, you can add honeysuckle to the mix?

[Truckman]

I've got enough to contend with in my yard with yaupon, let alone all that other stuff...Yaupon is not classified as invasive, but just try to get rid of it when it starts choking out everything else......Ben

[Kevin]

I deal with multiflora's cousin, rugosa. My Mom planted some about 30 years ago. I have spent two years chopping and pulling to dig that stuff out. It completely swallowed a very large flower garden, which I am now reclaiming.

My tool of choice - the Root Slayer shovel. I've ripped root balls out of the ground with this thing and have yet to get a grow back.

I chainsaw the rugosa, then leave the roots in the ground for a year. I come back the next year and dig out the roots after they've had a chance to rot a bit. Multiyear project and it took me two years to reclaim that garden but I took out 21 root balls with my trusty Root Slayer.

[UTAH]

Yep, the Root Slayer Shovel pops up on Amazon.

Hunter

[Kevin]

Lots of different models. I went with the long straight handle with a narrower digging end. Gotta pry those root balls OUT OUT OUT!!! Only ran into two that required getting out the ATV to pull. On those, there was a big tap root going down between some buried rocks, so I could not get at it with the shovel. But the only rugosa left in my garden this third summer are the ones I want to be there. Now, it is maintenance. The rugosa spread by runners, so I have to pull those at times as they pop up.

[Sandman]

Honeysuckle has the root ball and runners.. i may be buying a new shovel..

[UTAH]

Looked up "yaupon" due to Ben's post. Interestingly, it can be made into what some consider a nice tea.

Hunter

[Blue74]

And I'm fighting the fight with Goatheads in Nebraska.