How to get rid of Mimosa Trees?

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Mimosa belongs to the Mimosoid Clade of the Fabaceae Family of herbs and shrubs and is majorly cultivated as an ornamental plant. This variety is known as the ‘touch me not’ plant which closes its leaves whenever you touch them. This was one of the first species to have proven the existence of a biological clock within plants. They hardly grow above 20-30 feet and are considered to be highly invasive.

Let’s take a look at how to kill Mimosa trees and their root system.

How to Kill Mimosa Trees?

Some of the most popular methods for killing Mimosa are:

  1. Foliar Spray
  2. Cutting the tree down and treating the stump with Herbicides
  3. Gridling or ring barking
  4. Basal Bark treatment
  5. Injecting the tree with killing chemicals
  6. Cut surface treatment

Here is an article discussing each of these tree-killing methods

The best way to kill a small Mimosa tree

Some small Mimosa trees are only 10 feet tall. Because of their invasive nature, it is highly recommended to kill them as fast as possible.

The first option is to simply cut down the tree using a chainsaw or an ax and treat the stump with a herbicide like Tordon RTU or Relegate. Using a strong herbicide will ensure the whole tree and its root system die.

Cutting down a small tree should not be an issue and you can get it done without any professional help.

If you don’t want to cut down the tree, there is an alternative method you can go for.

Foliar Spray Technique

The second method is the Foliar Spray technique. This is only applicable if the Foliage of the tree is reachable by the sprayer.

Make sure you are wearing protective gear while using this method.

For this method, you will need a backpack sprayer and a herbicide to go along with it.

Make sure there is no wind during this as the herbicide will get carried away. The leaves of the tree should be dry before spraying the herbicide to maximize absorption.

  1. Use an effective herbicide like Roundup, Triclopyr ot Ortho which you can find here.
  2. Spray the foliage or the leaves of the Mimosa tree with the herbicide.
  3. Once the first layer has been aborbed, repeat. Since Mimosa is invasive, it will take multiple coatings of the herbicide to kill the tree.
  4. The herbicide will be absorbed by the leaves and transported to the roots, effectively killing the tree over time.

The best way to kill a large Mimosa tree

Mimosa trees only grow up to 25-30 feet tall. They can spread very fast due to their invasive nature and they should be killed as fast as possible.

The first method here also would be to cut them down and treat the remaining stump with a herbicide like Tordon RTU, (Amazon Affiliate link).

Alternatively, you can also use Basal Bark Treatment and Chemical Injection method.

Basal Bark Treatment

Keep in mind that this method can only be effective if the diameter of the trunk is less than 6-7 inches.

For this method, you will need a sprayer for spraying the chemical, a strong herbicide, and an oil-based solvent.

Ideally, you should choose herbicides that contain Trycloper or Trycloper Ester as the main chemical or use Imazapyr-based herbicides. For example, Garlon 4 Ultra, Relegate, Forestry Garlon XRT, Aligare Trycloper are good choices, however, in a lot of areas, these are not available to the consumer market. They also tend to be quite expensive.

Because of this, I would recommend Triclopyr from Amazon (Affiliate link)

The solvent to mix the herbicide in would be diesel, basal oil, fuel oil, or kerosene.

The ideal proportion for mixing should be 1 part herbicide and 4-part solvent, so about 20-25% concentration.

Some types of herbicides in the market can directly be used for this method without needing to mix with anything like ‘Pathfinder II’.

  1. Once you have the solution, spray the bottom 20 inches of the Mimosa tree with this solution and let it dry out.
  2. Repeat this process again for faster absorption.
  3. Make sure that the tree is not wet while performing this technique as the chemicals are hydrophobic, which means it will not be absorbed as effectively.

Chemical Injection

If the diameter is more than 7 inches, you can use the chemical injection method.

  1. You will need a drill and a herbicide for this method.
  2. Simply drill holes, 2-3 inches deep along the circumference of the Mimosa, about 2-3 feet above the ground. Make the angle of the holes downward.
  3. Inject a strong herbicide like Roundup or Tordon RTU into these holes and let it absorb.
  4. After about an hour, inject more herbicide into these holes to increase the efficiency of this method.
  5. If the tree has multiple trunks, make sure you drill holes and apply herbicide to each of tthem.

What’s the best time to kill Mimosa?

The best time to kill a Mimosa is during early to late spring. They usually start flowering by May which means that during this time, the nutrient requirement of the tree will be at a peak. Killing them before this time will stop any nutrient flow from the roots to the leaves and this will speed up the killing process.

Should you hire a professional tree removal service?

Because of the small size of the Mimosa trees, you can manage to get the tree killed by yourself. On the other hand, if you have to kill a large number of Mimosa trees then hiring a professional might be the better choice.

Take a look at my tree removal price guide here to get an idea: How Much Will Tree Removal Cost? (2022 guide)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you kill a Mimosa without cutting it down?

Although it is not recommended, mimosa can be killed using basal bark treatment, cur surface treatment, or foliar spray technique.

What precaution should you take while killing Mimosa trees?

Mimosa trees can easily grow back from shoots left in the soil and cut up parts of a previous Mimosa Tree. For that reason, it is important to use herbicides to kill the tree. You also have to keep an eye on any new saplings sprouting in that area.

Conclusion

A small Mimosa Tree, smaller than 10 feet, can be killed using the Foliar Spray method. For a bigger tree, you can use Basal Bark treatment or the Chemical injection method. Alternatively, you can also cut the tree down and treat the remaining stump with herbicide.

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