Buckthorn Removal in Portage

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His Workmanship offers buckthorn removal services. You provide the herbicide and brushes for chemical application. We’ll bring loppers to clip the stems and shovels to dig out the small buckthorn. Our rates start at $110 per hour for 2 landscapers. New customers can read Ephesians 2:1-10 to receive a $20 discount. Details are on the final step of the contact form.

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Honest and hardworking college students ready to help with buckthorn removal

Do you have a woods area on your property and recently discover it’s infested with invasive buckthorn? No worries! Our landscapers are very experienced with clearing buckthorn. We know the most efficient way to eradicate buckthorn and prevent regrowth. Watch the video below to learn about our process for removing buckthorn.

His Workmanship connects you with college landscapers in Portage

We’ve got your landscaping project taken care of anywhere in Portage. Check out the map below to view our service area in Portage. We dump the yard waste at Miller Road Transfer Station. Additional yard waste can be disposed at Kalamazoo Landscape Supplies Inc which is on South 9th Street in Kalamazoo.

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1. Get a free estimate in just a couple minutes

Select the services that best align with your needs and describe the details of your project to help us get a better idea of the scope of work. Feel free to upload pictures so your crew can visualize your specific needs.

2. Receive great customer support along the way

Our staff guarantees a reply to all emails within 24 hours. Once you get scheduled, you'll get a confirmation email with your service provider names as well as a text notification 1 hour before your project starts.

3. Relax while we speedily complete your project

Equipment in hand, your crew will arrive a few minutes early so they can collaborate with you about the work that needs to be done. Once they finish, you can pay the total bill directly to the crew leader. It's as simple as that!

Hear what a customer says

“This is the third time we have used His Workmanship. So far we’ve had great crews on our property. They have weeded out hosta beds, dug up buckthorn, planted several shrubs and installed around 70 bags of mulch. I have referred them to my friends and plan to have them come back next summer for more work. I would highly recommend His Workmanship.” – Linda
His Workmanship
His Workmanship
4.9
Based on 1743 reviews
Vickie Wagner
Vickie Wagner
These young people were able to plant the bed of irises in the dark! This time of year the 3 hours after 4pm are very demanding!
Joe Hajduk
Joe Hajduk
We used the services of His Workmanship twice in the last month. Two different projects that we did not want to handle by ourselves. The young men are courteous and very hard working. I recommend His Workmanship wholeheartedly!
Liz Guille
Liz Guille
We had a great experience with His Workmanship! Brandon and Nate were professional and worked hard. We are very pleased. Highly recommend!
Sharon Costello
Sharon Costello
On time and very professional. The young men got the job done. I needed a lot of leaves raked and bagged and that is exactly what they did. They guys could not have done a better job. Am very pleased. I would certainly use His Workmanship again.
Rachael
Rachael
(Attached photos include one “before” photo and three “after” photos)His Worksmanship was a huge relief for us.We live in the Greater Lansing area, and we recruited a 4-person, 8 hour team from Grand Rapids strictly for weeding and gutting several areas on our property that had been overtaken with overgrowth and debris. Given the great price, we kept expectations low and were just glad to be able to budget for this.Pisith and his team quickly went above and beyond all possible expectations, gutting weeds down to the root, moving debris out of affected beds, and offering to dig out heavy, rotted wood posts and edging that were no longer needed.At the end of the day, because the crew finished slightly early, I requested a few extra projects (picking up and moving tree limbs that had fallen, removing small plastic ponds and filling the holes afterwards, etc.), and the team enthusiastically agreed and efficiently got each task done. No project was left unfinished.Since this house is a family house, and the house is currently in a transition into our generation, this project meant so much to us. We now have a fresh start with our home, and we’ll be able to truly make it “home.” We are so thankful for a spectacular job done by His Worksmanship. THANK YOU!
Sherry Bombassei
Sherry Bombassei
The guys were good workers and well mannered. Price was fair.
Vicki Lynn Nason
Vicki Lynn Nason
Always perfect work!! Great guys, on time & hard workers! Will hire a lot more, when projects come up!
Garrett Holcomb
Garrett Holcomb
Great communication, and even better work! This team knocked out all of our needs faster than expected. Will definitely look to hire for future projects.
Kate Olson
Kate Olson
So helpful with garden tasks I couldn’t get to
mary parker
mary parker
Really fine young men. Listened carefully, executed beautifully, respectful of my property and myself. Highly recommend!
Haejin Lee
Haejin Lee
They worked hard and met our expectations. We will hire them again in the future
mary parker
mary parker
Very nice, respectful and efficient guys!!
Chris Stier
Chris Stier
Used His Workmanship for the first time to trim a dozen large shrubs that were very overgrown, plus some weeding and leaf pickup. Great communication setting up the appointment. The crew arrived on time, worked quickly and efficiently, and clarified my preferences throughout. Will use them again.
Bob Gaines
Bob Gaines
This company makes moving so much less stressful and the cost is extremely reasonable. With their help all the anxiety about the move was basically gone. Also I like the Christian values Everyone I talked to and worked with were full of kindness and patience and hard working.
Nofal Paulus
Nofal Paulus
Great guys, hard working and well worth it!
Craig Kleiman
Craig Kleiman
Hard working guys with great attitudes! I will use them again for future projects!
Rich Black
Rich Black
Great communication; skilled workmanship and reasonable cost.
Paul White
Paul White
The landscapers from His Workmanship did an outstanding job with my yard cleanup project. They were on time, friendly, and easy to work with. They worked very hard and completed all of the tasks I requested. They even offered suggestions that were a big improvement. This was my 3rd project with His Workmanship and my experience working with them has been great every time.
Jane Yelvington
Jane Yelvington
Very easy to book, crew arrived on time and finished quickly. Therein is the only niggle - minimum for 2 employees is 3 hrs @$100/hr. I was not able to book for a shorter period, even though I knew the job would not take two workers 3 hours. They finished in 1 hour, but I still paid for 3. Wish I had other tasks for them.
Heather F
Heather F
The communication was excellent and the retaining wall looks great!
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Frequently Asked Questions

Some buckthorn removal companies charge by the hour and rates range from $40 – $60 per hour per person. Other buckthorn eradication services charge by the job, which means the estimator would stop by your property to inspect the project and propose a flat rate. The overall price really depends on the job requirements. It’ll cost more if the buckthorn has grown into mature trees with a trunk larger than 4 inches in diameter. In that case, a chainsaw will be required and a tree removal company will need to be hired (not a landscape company). If the buckthorn are on a steep incline or hilly terrain, that will also increase the total cost. On the positive side, it won’t cost as much if you don’t need the brush hauled away. In other words, the price will go down if you have a place on your property where the buckthorn can be piled up.
Buckthorn doesn’t have natural controls such as insects or disease that would reduce the intensity of it’s growth. It outcompetes native plants for moisture, light and nutrients. This creates a toxic environment for natural growth of the non-invasive species you actually want to thrive. Buckthorn hinders the flourishing wildlife that should occur in forestry areas. Because of this, buckthorn endangers natural habitats such as prairies and wetlands. Buckthorn is Minnesota’s most ecologically damaging invasive plant for both private landowners and public land professionals working within forest and agricultural contexts.
Toward the end of summer, mature buckthorns produce clusters of black berries. If you have buckthorn that generates berries, then you are gonna want to go after those first. Buckthorn with berries are the ones responsible for spreading this invasive species. Why? The main reason is because the dark berries are attractive to animals who distribute the seeds, which causes new buckthorn seedlings to germinate. Ironically, the berries are not a good source of food. They are high in carbohydrates and low in protein, and even have a severe laxative impact on some animals. The berries cause severe cramping and diarrhea in humans, so little children should be kept out of areas where buckthorn berries have fallen.
There are two main types of buckthorn: common and glossy. Buckthorn is a tall shrub that can turn into a mid-sized tree up to 25 feet tall. They have brown bark with elongate silvery corky projections. The twigs have small and sharp thorns on the end. If you cut a branch it will show yellow sapwood and orange heartwood. Buckthorn leaves are oval, 1-2 inches long, and are finely toothed along the edges. The leaves are unique in that they have 2-3 pairs of prominent veins that curve toward the leaf tip. They have an extensive fiber-like root structure. The leaves stay green until late fall, which is why it’s easier to identify buckthorn in November when its leaves are still green and all other trees have brown leaves.
Late summer or anytime in the fall tend to provide the best conditions for cutting down buckthorn and treating them with chemicals. Try to avoid treating buckthorn in spring (April or May) as those months are when the tree is putting out leaves. This will minimize the effectiveness of the herbicide. The best time to treat buckthorn is in the fall season (September, October or November) when the sap is headed towards the roots. It can be treated effectively during the summer months (June, July or August) but the conditions are not optimal with very hot weather.
Smaller sized buckthorn that is up to 1 inch in diameter can be dug out with a shovel. If the buckthorn is around 2 inches thick, it’s best to use a lopper or hand saw to clip the stem a few inches above ground level. You can use a Pullerbear to completely remove buckthorn up to 3 inches in diameter. For buckthorn wider than 4 inches you should use a chainsaw. You can even hire a herd of goats to graze on buckthorn infested areas. For further reading, check out my blog titled 7 Ways to Effectively Remove Buckthorn. It ranks #1 on google for search inquiries related to “getting rid of buckthorn.”
Once you’ve clipped the buckthorn down to the stems, you’ll need to immediately apply a water-soluble glyphosate product like Bonide or RoundUp. Herbicide should be applied onto the stump within a few seconds so the chemicals can soak into the root system and prevent resprouting. These chemicals can be applied with a paint brush or a wick applicator such as a buckthorn blaster, a dauber or a sprayer. Avoid contact with your skin. Treat only the cut surface of the buckthorn stump as that is the only part that is given to resprouting. If the herbicide doesn’t make contact with the exposed stump, then it will have no negative effect on the buckthorns health.
If you are concerned about the environment and don’t want to pollute the ground with toxic chemicals, then I have good news for your buckthorn problem: there is an organic way to remove buckthorn! Once the buckthorn has been cut and the stump is exposed, you can cover it with a tin can to discourage regrowth. Even better than a tin can is a Buckthorn Baggie, which is a business that led the charge by inventing this eco-friendly strategy. The plastic bag, once ziptied over the stump, will suffocate the stem over the course of 12-24 months, so long as the bag covers the entire stump all the way to ground level.
Yes, it is permissible to burn buckthorn brush but it must be a controlled fire in accordance with city guidelines. If you have a firepit that is a legal distance away from your home, then that would be a good place to burn your brush pile. If the buckthorn hasn’t yet been removed from the ground, then a fire may be helpful with buckthorn eradication. Why? Because fire will kill seedlings and stems in upland locations. Buckthorn control typically will be evident after the first burn, though it may take a few burns over the course of 1-2 years. The downside to this approach is that good trees and saplings will die along with the buckthorn. So I only recommend to burn buckthorn if the entire woods is densely infested and there are minimal non-invasive trees you want preserved.
There are many landscape companies and tree removal services out there but only a few of them actually specialize in buckthorn removal, so your shopping options may be limited. But in the event that you have more than one buckthorn removal service to choose from, here are 5 questions that you should ask before picking one: 1. Do you have a warranty that guarantees the buckthorn won’t grow back? If so, how many years does it extend? 2. What is your process for removing buckthorn? 3. Do you dispose of the brush or is that the customers responsibility? 4. How many years have you offered buckthorn removal services? 5. Do you have reviews online that verify you’ve made other residental customers happy? Click here to get a free buckthorn removal quote from His Workmanship.

Blogs on Buckthorn Removal

His Workmanship is a Christian company

Our mission is to glorify God as we embody the gospel through our hard labor and our honest behavior. Our desire is to bring satisfaction to the customer as they seek to improve their property. We also desire to facilitate growth for students as they experience the business world from a Christian perspective.

Hear what a provider says

My name is Sam and this is my second summer picking up clients through the His Workmanship platform. I heard about this company from my friend who attends a Christian organization called Young Life. What I like most about this side hustle is that I can work outside with my friends. I’ve made a lot of money and it’s been a great opportunity to help various people in my community. This has definitely been the best summer gig I’ve had thus far in my life.

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Fun Facts about Portage

Portage is the site of Pfizer’s largest manufacturing facility. The U.S. government prepped millions of doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine on December 13, 2020, for shipment to sites across the nation, a mammoth logistical undertaking in support of the most complex immunization program in history. Most of Portage is in the Portage Public Schools school district. Some of Portage is in Comstock Public Schools, some is in Vicksburg Community Schools, and some is in Schoolcraft Community Schools. Learn more about Portage schools, utilities and parks.
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