How to get rid of Elaeagnus Hedge

I have about 200 Ft of Elaeagnus (several varieties) that I need to remove.  From what I have read it suckers and resprouts from the stump.
Any ideas on best way to remove completely?  

I'd wait until it's hot and dry then cut it with a chainsaw and try to stump grind it or somesuch


Why are you removing it if you don't mind me asking?

Looks like you are in northern Alabama. So youve had. Ton of rain, perhaps with more coming in coming month.

I know nothing of that particular hedge, but I have noted that after a ton of rain, I can pull much more root on undesirables. The soil just seems to "let go". In normal or dry weather, my excavation efforts leave much more root behind.

So, if it were me, i'd take advantage of loose soil and get some rope and a tractor or truck and try to pull from low on the stump. It might suprise you and just "let go".

Dennis, why do you need to remove them?

Sounds like Elaeagnus are nitrogen fixers, and the berries could be cooked.

I have pulled bushes and small trees using a farm jack with an additional two legs to make a tripod.  It can pull small trees out of moist ground. It is a 3 ton jack. I may try to use some epsom salts to dry out the stump before attempting this.
I want to replace the Elaeagnus with Goumi which is a lot more manageable.  Elaeagnus will not stop growing and it becomes harder and harder to trim.  I thought it would dwarf after a couple of trimmings.  Goumi only grows to 6 foot tall and wide and that is the height I want to maintain as a hedge.  While Elaeagnus has interesting berries I am hoping that Goumi is more tasty.  I will expand the Goumi through cuttings on a misting bench.

They do root pretty deeply. Not as bad as wisteria but can be a pain. I like the idea of removing them with wet ground, that sounds like a winner. If you don't get them all out, they come back in a year, but I have had success really degrading the base with a machete after weakening it by cutting a couple years in a row. I am gradually replacing the autumn olive with goumi as well. There are slight differences in the dormant plant, but they are very different in terms of habit as you have said. Still I have some big goumis well over 6'! These were puchased from a reputable broker, with big red berries not little autumn olive berries.

In terms of propagating them, you don't need a mister. They are super easy as hardwood cuttings. Just stick them in moist soil in the fall <12" sections and most will root if the soil doesn't dry out (I use old wood chips). I did 40 cuttings this year and am giving them away because they took so well. I did a bunch last year assuming I could transplant them and by the time I got around to it they were 4'-5' tall. I started rooting them in December and they should be ready to transplant in another month, they are already leafing out here.

Thanks TJ.  Do you know if they were Sweet Scarlet or Red Gem?  
As long as the do not get out of control like my Elaeagnus then it should be good.  I know the birds will get many of the berries but with 200 foot of hedge there should be plenty to go around.
I have two Sweet Scarlet an have ordered two Red Gem.  I have another one I bought from Oikos, but they provide no details on what variety it is.    These are all leafing out now.

I have mostly sweet scarlet. Honestly within two years you can take a hundred cuttings from a couple plants. Don't spend more than you have to. I have probably four cultivars. I got some from a friend, she doesn't know what they are, they were already on her place.

In my experience the birds aren't that into them. The chixs love them. I eat them by the pound. Awesome plant.

If you want a box of cuttings I can send some. After two years they get really crazy here.

I would love some more.  I like variety since it spreads out the harvest season and different tastes too.  I will purple moosage you.

You might be able to graft goumi onto the elaganaeus. You could cut it down to stumps and try a bark graft

That is an interesting idea.  I wonder if any have tried this.

Do this over winter or early spring?

I have enough to experiment with.

I suppose now might be a good time, at least as an experiment, so long as the scionwood is dormant. If not you could try budding in late summer. Goumi's latin name is Elaeagnus multiflora, so it wouldn't surprise me if it took. Goumi is commonly grown from cuttings but I have seen it grafted onto seedlings also