Is there a reason you are not using round-up? Seems like it would certainly be a lot easier to use.

Gary

Gary, I'm not using Round up because it would have no more effect on a trumpet vine than spraying it with water. I'm using the most powerful vine and woody plant poison available--and it is having no effect. I'm hoping someone out there has personal experience with eradicating one. (That is, successful personal experience!)

Cut down all the stems as far as you can and IMMEDIATLY pour or brush on Round-up concentrate straight - don't mix with water. That should do it.

silkysacto, do you have personal experience with this technique? All information that I can get says this will not work for trumpet vine, especially in that round up is not terrible effective on woody plants--it's a broadleaf herbicide.

I'm having the same problem with the trumpet vines, nothing works! I've cut them all the way back and injected a herbicide into the stump with a syringe and they still come back!!!!!I've been fighting a losing battle for the last 7 years. I'd love to find a way to finally eradicate this darn vine from my yard.
Karyn

Does the Vine-X come in a concentrated form? Silkysacto is correct in the method....but you do have to be very quick about it....while it is still "pumping" fluids....

This is usually a job for two people...one person cuts, the next immediately applies the concentrate (best with a brush).

You can also check with a local farm store to see what stronger chemicals they may have....

I hate to mention it, as it is a last resort type of idea. But have you tried putting a thin layer of Rock Salt, what's used for melting ice, around the base of the plant and watering every now and then to let it seep into the ground around the vine's roots? Salt will usually kill anything.

Unfortunately, it also tends to render the ground sterile for a while that it's applied on. So I only recommend this as a last ditch effort to eradicate the Trumpet Vine.

If the procedure is a success, all you would have to do then is one or both of two things. To make the soil usable again, you could water it daily for several weeks on end to dilute and filter away the salt. You could also just replace the soil that you salted and bring in fresh, fertile soil to start over with.

I know for a fact that salt will sterilize soil for some time because my father once dumped some softener salt from the Water Purification System at his house onto the lawn and the area was dead for quite some time. However, eventually the rain diluted the salt and the grass grew back.

We had a problem with locust trees that suckered all over the yard after my husband cut them down last summer. I kept hitting the stumps and suckers with Bayer's Brush and Stump Killer. Haven't seen any suckers this year! Now I'm trying to kill a bittersweet vine the same way. Stupid me, I planted it in hopes of getting the berries, but it never produced. It's trying to choke the tree it was planted next to. Past experience tells me to keep applying the stump killer product and eventually it should succumb.

Has anyone tried using an aspirin or other type of "chemical" solution that would be toxic to plants but not to people, animals or water tables?
We live very near Alexander Springs in the Ocala Natl. Forest, (Florida). Our water table here is fed by that same spring. In our area the wells enter the water table at 75-85 feet in depth. So we are extremely careful about anything we use.
I have been able to get roots out up to 2 feet down in ground by soaking ground first. The roots are joined in a network that can be quite deep underground though they always grow back.
It is easier and more effective during winter months when it isn't growing.

I live in the central San Joaquin Valley in California & was able to finally kill the five established vines that were taking over my flower beds & lawns. This is how I did it with the advice of my local garden center:

1. Wait until early fall or end of growing season when the plant is storing all it's energy for next year's growth and has all it's leaves still on it. Spray the entire vine liberally with Roundup (Yuck-but it works). Two applications may be needed. DO NOT PRUNE OR CUT THE PLANT. LET ALL THE LEAVES DIE ON THE VINE OVER THE WINTER.

2. In Spring you should notice that no new growth is coming out. I waited until early summer to be sure no growth was coming out of the vines before digging up the plants. When I finally dug out the root ball it was dried out and obviously dead!

3. The mistake I was making before was trying to cut the main stock way down & then digging out the plant while it was still alive. I found that no matter how deep I dug, I couldn't get all the little pieces of the root that break off and then start the growing cycle again. You have to put up with the unsightly mess once you spray the plant and be patient before you dig it out, but it's worth it! Hooray, no more trumpet vine!

e