Fig vs. privet

I have "liberated" a very large fig tree on property inherited from my mother-in-law. When I began in spring 2002, it was literally covered in honeysuckle vine and surrounded by a grove of privet. After hacking my way through the privet and tearing out the honeysuckle. I discovered a huge fig, estimated by family members to be about 40 years old. It is beautiful and bears a ton of fruit, ripening in mid to late July.

The fight against the privet is a continuing struggle. I can keep it mowed down in the area surrounding the fig, but the area underneath it is a real problem. Due to years of neglect, many of the fig branches have drooped to the ground and rooted there. They dip, root, and arch back up. This makes it difficult to "get in there" and battle the privet, particularly during the summer.

I'd like to eradicate the privet, but am concerned about harming the fig. Thus, to this date, my only control method has been manual cutting. The very large privets (up to 8 inches) I've cut down with a chain saw, although they continue to shoot up suckers and new branches. The smaller ones I cut with a mower (where possible) and I crawl in and snip the unaccessible ones.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to kill the privet without damaging the fig tree?

Attached photo is of my dad harvesting figs a couple of years ago. Note the "wild" look and the huge size of the figs!

Well, I had a situation like your's a few years ago and this is what I did. I put on a rubber glove, then a cotton glove on top of that. Then I mixed up some herbicide and put some in a small bucket. I carried the bucket out to where the problem was and dipped my hand in the bucket. The rubber glove kept my hand dry and I would wring most of the cotton glove by making a fist. Then I grabbed the offending weed and ran the stalk through the cotton gloved hand. With privet, I don't know what you can use, because the fires of H*LL are needed to kill it.

Pete,

I like that suggestion very much. I may be able to use it in certain situations around here. I've found that the Round-Up made for shrubs/vines/brush is quite strong and works quickly on most things. I wonder if using your double glove trick with that type of Round-Up might work even for privet.

Thats' a good idea. I would prune off the limbs that have rooted themselvles. Give them away or plant them somewhere else. That would let you move under the tree, that seems to be the easy idea. Because if it's not privet something else will probably move in. You can try and rip the privet out with a garden tractor or truck. That would kill off the strongest part of the plant and make it easier to kill for sure.

I like the double-glove suggestion and will try it.

As for pruning off the rooted limbs, should I wait until dormancy or can I do it right after this year's harvest? Also, should I cut them back all the way to the main junction?

I do appreciate your responses. I've got zero experience in gardening prior to my move to this location. I was always afraid I'd "mess up something." LOL, once we moved here, the overall condition was such that I lost my fear and jumped right in. Thus, consider me a brave newbie.

Wow, I had the same situation with the same plants! I simply mixed up some brush-b-gone and put it in a small cup, then I got a small paintbrush and where I cut the privet I would paint the leftover stem. If you accidently drip some on a fig leaf, just tear off the fig leaf before it has a chance to soak in. I actually had to unwind the honeysuckle from mine and do the same thing to it.

Will the same technique work to get rid of sucker black locust?

It should