Farmers hate the multiflora bush, which grows into an nearly impenetrable thicket.

Even though spring is an extremely busy time on the farm, one chore that shouldn’t be overlooked is controlling multiflora rose in pastures and odd areas.

Left uncontrolled, these rose bushes can quickly overtake a pasture, rendering it pretty much worthless.

As with any pest management plan, there are several ways to control rose; but the most effective is herbicide treatment. There are several herbicides that are effective, but each has the down sides.

n Glyphosate has been shown to be effective in controlling multiflorarose.However, larger plants need heavier treatments and obviously will kill all surrounding vegetation as well.

n Crossbow is another very effective herbicide. However, it’s expensive, has some grazing restrictions and cannot be sprayed near water.

n Cimarron also is effective and doesn’t have a grazing restriction, nor is as expensive as crossbow, but plants over 3 feet are tougher to control and might require multiple treatments.

While persistent mowing and goats can reduce infestations, they can’t be relied on as effective control since it takes several years to kill a plant.

Multiflora rose is also affected by Rose Rosette disease, a virus transmitted by mites. However, unless there is a severe infestation per plant, this virus does little to control established plants

When using herbicides, treatments should be completed as soon as the plant has fully leafed and begun to bud flowers. Glyphosate treatment on larger, more established bushes can produce better results near the fall when the plant is translocating sugars to the roots for regrowth the following spring.

In any event, controlling these weeds will be an annual chore and something you’ll want to stay on top of, but with a proper herbicide program you can tame this unruly bush.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.