Research Findings on Chemical Control of Cottonwood

 

 

Cottonwood (Populus tremula) is a common tree species across the Midwest. Near rivers, streams and lakes it provides many benefits such as stabilizing river banks and providing wildlife habitat; however, cottonwood also can be considered an invasive species (i.e., weed), as it is characterized by vigorous colonization of areas. Sub-irrigated meadows are one of those areas where cottonwood acts as a weed and reduces the quality of grassland (Figure 1).

 

Due to a lack of information on the effectiveness of herbicides for cottonwood control, a study was conducted in 2016 and 2017 to test eight herbicides:

Trees were sprayed at full foliage (early June). Tree size ranged from 1 to 5 feet.

 

 

Cimmaron Max®, Grazon P+D®, and Picloram 22k® provided excellent (100%) control that lasted for more than one year (Table 1). Ally XP® and 2,4-D amine provided fair control (70-76%), while Clarity®, Telar®/Glean® and Stinger® provided very poor (20-33%) control of cottonwood throughout the observation period.

 

Effective control of cottonwood by picloram-based products (Picloram, Tordon, and Grazon P+D) is not surprising, as picloram is generally known to be effective on woody plants. Despite its effectiveness on cottonwood, we do not recommend using picloram in sub-irrigated meadows as picloram tends to leach through the soil profile and potentially could contaminate high water tables. In fact, the labels for picloram-based products clearly indicate that use should be avoided on soils that are very permeable (textures of sandy loam to sand) throughout the entire profile and which also have an underlying shallow aquifer such as a sub-irrigated meadow.  

 

 

 

 

It’s important to know the depth of the water table beneath your pasture before using any picloram-based product. In pastures with a higher water table, Cimmaron Max should be used instead.

 

Metsulfuron-methyl (Ally XP) applied alone provided fair control of cottonwood, however, excellent control was achieved when it was mixed with 2,4-D and dicamba (Cimmaron Max). Metsulfuron-methyl is a systemic herbicide with residual activity, known to be effective for controlling perennial species with underground stems or suckers, such as cottonwood. Effective control of the suckers will prevent regrowth of a sprayed cottonwood. Metsulfuron-methyl based products are also safe on grasses.

 

These results indicate there are few excellent herbicide options for cottonwood control in Nebraska pastures, for both sub-irrigated meadows and higher grounds.