Skip to main content
Customize by ZIP Code

User account menu

  • Help Center
Menu Search
Home Home
Roundup

Main Navigation (US)

  • Products

    • Landscape Weeds

    • Driveway & Patio Weeds

    • Lawn Weeds & Bugs

    • Poison Ivy & Tough Brush

    • Concentrates

    • Refills

  • Product Picker

  • Weeding Wisely

    • Learning the Basics

    • Using Products Properly

    • Specific Weeds

    • Learning the Basics

    • Using Products Properly

    • Specific Weeds

    • General Weeding

    • Landscape Projects

  • Help Center

    • Email Us

    • Site Map

    • Terms & Conditions

    • About Us

Search

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $35 OR MORE

weeding wisely banner

Specific Weeds

What Is Common Buckthorn and How Do I Control It?

Found commonly throughout North America, buckthorn is a serious threat to natural areas, backyards, parks, and forests. You'll find it along roadsides, in old fields, prairie fens, savannas, and different woodlands. Common Buckthorn has pushed out native plants and messed up the ecosystems of many forested areas. Not cool, buckthorn.

Buckthorn growing in a garden.

“Rhamnus cathartica — leaves” by The NYSIPM Image Gallery is licensed under CC BY 3.0 US

WHAT IS COMMON BUCKTHORN?

Found commonly throughout North America, buckthorn is a serious threat to natural areas, backyards, parks, and forests. You'll find it along roadsides, in old fields, prairie fens, savannas, and different woodlands. Common Buckthorn has pushed out native plants and messed up the ecosystems of many forested areas. Not cool, buckthorn.

“Not cool, buckthorn.”

THE BUCKTHORN STOPS HERE: 5 WAYS TO REMOVE IT

Illustration of buckthorn.
  1. Hand pull small buckthorns

    Wait for a day when the soil is a little damp and pull out young plants. Bigger ones can sometimes be pulled with tools.

  2. Cut down bigger buckthorns

    Chop larger plants close to the ground, and cover the stumps with black plastic to prevent regrowth. Left uncovered, they'll resprout with a vengeance.

  3. Use Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer products on the biggest buckthorns

    Cut behemoth buckthorn close to the ground, drill four or five holes into the stump, and immediately pour undiluted Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate Plus into the holes. That'll teach it.

  4. Replant and revisit

    After removal, plant something beneficial to keep buckthorn from returning. Chokeberry, dogwood, and serviceberry trees look good and do good by feeding and sheltering birds. Buckthorn seeds can survive in the ground for a long time, so keep an eye out for sprouts in the spring, and hand pull them if necessary.

  5. Volunteer

    Local municipalities often don't have the funds to remove invasive plants from public spaces, so help out the neighborhood by organizing a buckthorn removal effort with some pals.

A MENACE SPROUTS

According to the Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry, some well-intentioned Europeans brought Common Buckthorn to North America in the late 1800s as an ornamental plant and windbreak.1 Since then, it's taken over a range that stretches from New England to Missouri, crowding out ecologically important native plants.

1Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry. Common and Glossy Buckthorn. In Forest Invasive Plants Resource Center. Retrieved from http://na.fs.fed.us.

Packshot
Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Super Concentrate
Learn More
500501065_0.eps
Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate Plus
Learn More

Related Articles

Whether you are just starting out, maintaining or troubleshooting, you'll find advice and answers here for all your weed control needs.

Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Products Control over 200 species of weeds.
Related Article
What Do Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Products Control?

We know of over 200 types of weeds and grasses that our products can help you handle.

Learn More
Dallisgrass
Related Article
What Is Dallisgrass and How Do I Control It?

Dallisgrass is one of the most problematic weeds in the southern United States. It loves warm, moist areas and thrives during the summer. And though it’s easy to identify, getting rid of it can be another story.

Learn More
Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate sitting on a patio.
Related Article
How Do I Use Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate Products?

Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer concentrates are your best friend when it comes to treating large areas. 

Learn More
2021-01-17
2021-01-17
Roundup
85
77
/en-us/library/specific-weeds/what-common-buckthorn-and-how-do-i-control-it
https://www.roundup.com/sites/g/files/oydgjc121/files/styles/large/public/asset_images/templateFramework/images/microSites/RUP/weedingwisely/article_assets/feature/43200017.jpg?itok=NoHylX1O

Social Media

  • Youtube

Footer menu

  • General Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • Return Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
  • Investor Relations
  • Our Brands
  • Careers

The information on this site refers to Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer products and is for homeowner use. Always read and follow label directions.

*Consumer Guarantee: If for any reason you are not satisfied after using this product, simply send us original proof of purchase, and we will refund the purchase price.

Always read and follow label directions. Roundup, Roundup & design, FastAct, Roundup Extended Control and X design, Roundup® Precision Gel™, Pump 'N Go, Sure Shot and Draw the Line are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. © 2020 Monsanto Company, worldwide rights reserved.