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  • From: Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Re: Elaeagnus
  • Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003 17:13:11 -0600

My experience in New Mexico, USA is that it does indeed sprout from the root and is extremely hard to eradicate. It is taking over riparian areas in New Mexico, and because it is bird born it is very difficult to control its spread. Birds love the berries. It out competes and shades out our other riparian species which is a problem.

Not to join the native plant fascists I would like to say that in many places, where riparian species are dependent on flooding and the silting of seed for germination we have lost the natives due to damming and other mindless human intervention. In those cases it seems that both Russian Olive and another exotic Salt cedar are the only plants that recolonize those eroding waterways. In my case I want to establish different basket willows in a wetlands and am constantly fighting Elaeagnus.

They do make good browse for goats, and I would suspect browsing cattle, like Highland.

Scott Pittman

At 12:04 PM 4/19/03 -0400, you wrote:
Hi there,
Would anyone know whether Elaeagnus species (Russian olive etc.) can be
coppiced, i.e. does it resprout from the base?

I read that in Pakistan Elaeagnus as well as willow are planted on field
edges and marginal land - their leaves and bark provide supplementary
fodder for livestock in winter.

I feed some willow, sea buckthorn, and ash to my goats from field
margins and hedges already (with alder, birch, and Rosa rugosa next in
line once they get big enough) and wonder could I do the same with
Elaeagnus.

Thanks,
Ute




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