Chinese privet

  What’s the best way to control invasive Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour) in a rural lawn? A year-long study recently conducted by the University of North Texas in a mixed-plant rural lawn infested with Chinese privet in north-central Texas sought an answer to this environmental issue. The objective was to compare the effectiveness of mechanical removal and chemical treatment of Chinese privet seedlings. As landscapers may know, Chinese privet has invaded vast areas of the forested southeastern U.S. and is the most prevalent invasive shrub in eastern Texas. Its seeds even persist in digestive tracts of birds and other animals, enabling rapid spread across long distances. Once established, Chinese privet grows rapidly, quickly taking up nutrients and producing seeds. It contributes to declines in biodiversity by outcompeting native plants and altering habitats used by native animals. To date, efforts to control Chinese privet have largely involved cut stump herbicide treatments and foliar applications to shrubs in forests, though biological controls also show promise. However, few studies have been conducted on the scale of a residential rural lawn. Yet rural neighborhoods near impacted woods are also vulnerable to Chinese privet infestation. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mechanical removal and chemical treatment of Chinese privet seedlings in a rural lawn in north-central Texas. Methods A mixed-plant lawn was studied in a rural neighborhood at the northern edge of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. The neighborhood comprises several lots, approximately one acre in size, and borders ...