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cefreeman_gw

Killing @!*#! Vines

CEFreeman
11 years ago

Hi all!

I need some serious advice.

In my idiocy and subconscious "Oh, it can't be that bad" state, I planted very pretty vines.

Chocolate vine (that gorgeous thing over GardeningGramma's back door)

and 3 Chinese hybrid honeysuckles.

They're taking over. Even the grass. They're pulling down branches of trees, and laughing at me.

I sprayed my beloved Round-up all over the chocolate vine, but it seemed to act like fertilizer. I simply cut down the honeysuckles, but you know how they'll come back 10 times stronger.

What can I do that will effect their root system? The unspoken is, of course, without killing everything else in the garden.

I'm pulling it out every day. I'm even going to dig out a raised bed to get rid of the chocolate vine's home base.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Comments (8)

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Kim, did you buy that locally?
    I"m hoping for a systemic murder, given the fact these things are rooting in my grass.

    I still can't believe Round-Up has been so ineffective this year.

  • kimka
    11 years ago

    I think I bought it at Roozen Nursery & Garden Centers, 9513 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 565-9544. But call around because I don't remember for sure.

    For really tough stuff, like lesser celedine--that horrible invasive tuff that comes out in early spring, I've been buying Round-Up concentrate and using it at triple strength. The thing about Round Up is that it has to be used when the plant is actively growing for it to work. Are you using it late in the day or has the cooler weather just shut down the vine's growing? I found twice last spring, a Roud-Upping had no effect, and then I realized that I was spraying about 5 pm and the plants were no longer actively photosynthesizing. That may have contributed to the failure to kill.

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'll hunt around.
    I ceased diluting Round-up, but it didn't matter. A lot of things, not just vines, just shook it off.

    I work at night, so my spraying is in the morning to early afternoon. Plus, I hate the sun and heat, so once the heat kicks in, I'm not in it. Good thought on the photosynthesizing, though. I've got some spraying to do and must this week for any hope of killing.

    I can tell you I finally killed some persistent mulberry trees, though. Cut them down again and dug holes in the stumps with the saw. Poured Round-up in the impression. Just like you'd fill the bamboo canes with Round-up.

    I'd use a root killer, but it'd wipe out my gardens. What's survived almost 5 years of neglect deserves to continue to live.
    Thanks, though!

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Just thought I'd let you know that Greenlight has been purchased by Scott's and their name is now "Fertilome Cut Vine & Stump Killer".
    Can't get it via Scott's, nor at Big Boxes yet. Ordered it online.

    Wish me luck.

  • agardenstateof_mind
    10 years ago

    Certainly follow the label directions, but I was taught that the best time to apply these products is in the late summer/autumn, when the plants are drawing substances down into the root system in preparation for winter.

    However you handle it ... good luck!

    If you want a good list of invasive plants, check out the web site of the NJ Invasive Species Strike Team. They even have a 'Do Not Plant' list ... a good reference to keep handy. Our growing conditions here are very similar to yours, so the list should be appropriate for DC/MD, too.

    Here is a link that might be useful: NJ Invasive Species Strike Team

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    10 years ago

    "I ceased diluting Round-up, but it didn't matter. A lot of things, not just vines, just shook it off."

    Thats exactly what happened, but the answer isn't to use undiluted roundup. How wasteful! Just buy a proper spreader/sticker/surfactant at an Ag/Feed store or a place for "pro" landscapers like John Deere (formerly Lesco) and use according to directions. I've never needed more than 5 oz per gallon of 41% glyphosate to kill a weed, if I was able to fully coat the leaves of most of the plant. For really stubborn weeds like Smilax use enough spreader so that the roundup mix COATS the leaves. Believe me, those are super powerful detergents...at a certain point, the roundup will coat the leaf. (which will still be

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    10 years ago

    btw of course many forms of glyphosate claim to have sufficient surfactant, but that is not my experience. Maybe enough for grasses and dandelions, but not enough for the tough stuff like clover, oxalis, etc.

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