Official Buckthorn Blaster® Starter Kit

The Buckthorn Blaster® is used to apply herbicide* to freshly cut stumps and stems. Use of indicator dye is highly recommended for visual assurance of complete treatment area coverage as shown in the photo at right. Our Mark-It Blue Dye product is a highly concentrated water soluble landscape dye for use with herbicide.

*Herbicide is NOT included with the Buckthorn Blaster™ or sold in the NAISMA shop. Only the herbicide manufacturer may bottle herbicide product.

Buckthorn Blaster® is a registered trademark of the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA). The products you purchase from NAISMA are made in the United States and quality checked by our manufacturer.

Herbicide is NOT included with the Buckthorn Blaster™ or sold in the NAISMA shop.Only the herbicide manufacturer may bottle herbicide product.

Herbicide users are required by law to read and follow the herbicide manufacturer’s label. The label information includes affected plant species, dilution instructions, environmental & wildlife hazards, personal protection to wear during use, and more. We recommend using an herbicide containing 18% glyphosate as the active ingredient. These herbicides are great for use on cut-stumps of buckthorn, and many other undesirable “stemmed” plants.

Most herbicides are ineffective in early spring to early summer when plant sap flows upward and away from the root structure. Some plant species are only responsive to limited herbicides, and/or during specific seasons. Using herbicide inappropriately wastes time, money and is harmful to our environment. Herbicides with the active ingredient picloram is an herbicide that can be extremely toxic to the environment and in our opinion should never be used. Herbicide with the active ingredient picloram does not bind to the soil but rather moves with water from rain and snow melt. It kills most or all plants in its path and can be found a great distance from the original application site.

We DO NOT recommend using oil based substances in your Buckthorn Blaster® products as they can compromise the product.

Please refer to this information from the Dept. of Agriculture

Stop seed dispersal. Remove berry-producing plants first.

Avoid removing too much buckthorn too quickly. A rapid increase in sunlight is only beneficial to germination of buckthorn and other non-native plant seeds (i.e. garlic mustard). Native plants need only a small increase in sunlight to rebound and re-establish.

Leave your buckthorn brush on site to benefit both woodland and wildlife. Place buckthorn logs and brush perpendicular to slopes for erosion control. Using the buckthorn brush to cover areas of bare soil will inhibit germination of buckthorn and other non-native plant seeds. Buckthorn berries in a brush pile fall to the soil but will struggle to germinate without sunlight. Native plants will grow through and around these brush piles.

Brush piles from buckthorn and other woody plants create an excellent habitat for birds & other wildlife.

Begin buckthorn control in a limited area that is manageable to you for continuing maintenance and control. Take on new areas as resources permit.

To remove or replace Buckthorn BlasterTM foam applicator tip, slide rim of tip into the channel of the applicator removal tool as shown in photo. While holding tool handle close to applicator tip carefully wiggle in an upward motion. Replace applicator tip securely to avoid herbicide leakage.

Buckthorn Blaster® is a registered trademark of the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA). You can buy authorized products right from this page!