Privet – Removal and Controll

Q: The woods around my home are grown up in privet hedge and small trees. How do I kill the growth?

A: It will be a two-person job but it will go fastest if one person uses loppers or a saw to cut each plant at the base. The other person then pulls the plant out of the way and squirts the top of the stump with ready-to-use glyphosate (Roundup, etc) from a spray bottle. Cutting everything low will allow you to get in there with a mower in the future. The glyphosate will prevent most, but not all, resprouting from the cut stumps. Repeat in spring. You should have complete control by the end of next summer.