How to Get Rid of Dogbane
- 1). Control dogbane with competing plants. Alfalfa and winter wheat, for example, compete well with dogbane. Competing plants often drown out the root systems of unwanted plants, allowing them to shade the unwanted plants from the sun. This, in turn, helps keep the unwanted plants small. While this may not eradicate dogbane, it should limit its growth substantially.
- 2). Apply glyphosate or combinations of glyphosate with dicamba or 2,4-D in the fall prior to the first hard frost. Glyphosate with dicamba or 2,4-D is commonly found at most garden or hardware stores. Check the glyphosate label to see if it contains dicamba or 2,4-D. For maximum effect, add 17 lbs. of ammonium sulfate to 100 gallons of water in order to dilute the mixture. After stirring, add two parts glyphosate with dicamba or 2,4-D to one part ammonium sulfate and water.
- 3). Spray the glyphosate mixture on fields or yards using a common garden sprayer. Every 1 lb. of the mixture can treat up to one acre of land.
- 4). Prevent cultivation of dogbane seedlings by tilling the soil. Killing shoots between crop rows, for example, can reduce yield loss.
- 5). Apply glyphosate on post-emergent roundup ready crops. One quart of glyphosate covers an entire acre.
- 6). Spray primisulfuron on newly emerged dogbane. This is another commonly found herbicide that will kill the plant. Apply between 1/2 to 1 pint per acre.