Killing LARGE Vines

[jay3534]

I have some LARGE vines up to 3 inch in diameter (some kudzu, some ivy and some unknown) . Plan to cut them off near the ground and spray when they start to green up. The question is if I pull the vines from the trees will any pieces that break and fall off take root?

 

[HillStreet]

I live in Maine so I don't have the same vine problem as you in North Carolina. I have an apple orchard that has lots of vines, up to 2.5 inches. I use the tractor bucket to uproot the root ball, then give it a month or so to die. Then you can pull it, cut it and chip it. No regrowth but I do mow under the trees where the roots were.

 

[shaeff]

When my wife and I purchased our 4.5 acre vacant land, it had been abandoned for over ten years. It had likely been neglected for longer than that. We had vines, mostly poison ivy and some other woody vine that is strong as steel cable up to 3.5" thick. I cut them all off at the base, leaving about 5" sticking out of the ground. Used our loader with some chains to carefully drag them out of all the trees (they were being smothered), and waited a few weeks.

Once cut off, especially the poison ivy, it would flourish at ground level. I'd then take poison ivy spray and spray it like crazy every day. In two summers I had all the large poison ivy vines wiped out. They take in vast amounts of sunlight through their leaves. If you spray every leaf they have, once the sun comes out, it's pretty much over for them. I had a very good Roundup brand killer and I was very happy with it, though I heard they changed the formula now.

I didn't have any issues with pieces falling from trees and re-rooting. It's really a matter of cutting the vine off, then it re-sprouts like wildfire around the main original vine.

 

[newbury]

I have some LARGE vines up to 3 inch in diameter (some kudzu, some ivy and some unknown) . Plan to cut them off near the ground and spray when they start to green up. The question is if I pull the vines from the trees will any pieces that break and fall off take root?

I'm pretty sure kudzu pieces will sprout in mid air and form a root ball as they fall

I've a lot of ivy around the house (both poison ivy and English ivy) and that forms roots on the house and trees, I'm sure if they fall in the right environment (moisture/water available, soil to penetrate) they will root.

My method is to cut them off and let them hang for a year before I pull them off.

And spray the remains on the ground.

 

[aarolar]

I'm pretty sure kudzu pieces will sprout in mid air and form a root ball as they fall

I've a lot of ivy around the house (both poison ivy and English ivy) and that forms roots on the house and trees, I'm sure if they fall in the right environment (moisture/water available, soil to penetrate) they will root.

My method is to cut them off and let them hang for a year before I pull them off.

And spray the remains on the ground.

This is my preference as well cut about a foot wide section out of the vine and leave the remaining in the tree to dry out and die then herbicide the remaining every chance you get for the next year. The hardest thing to kill is a bamboo brier the root ball on them can be enormous and getting enough sestemic herbicide to the root to kill it is tricky.

 

[Ford850]

I do the same as these last two replies ^^
On really tough ones, I recut a little off the stump section before reapplying the herbicide every month or two.

 

[murph1]

I do the same as these last two replies ^^
On really tough ones, I recut a little off the stump section before reapplying the herbicide every month or two.

This^ I use pathfinder II on the cuts. The vine will dry up and fall off the tree.

 

[teg]

The other vine might be wild grape vine they'll get really thick, I got a couple 4" think... I would cut the vines and wait until they die and get brittle.

View attachment 496298

 

[oosik]

Would you believe, on 80 acres, I only had one big vine that needed to be removed. It was some type of Ivy - not poison Ivy. I cut the main trunk - leaving about two feet above ground and spent an un-Godly amount of time pulling it out of two trees. I soaked a shop rag in RoundUp and wrapped it around the exposed top of the stump. I put a plastic bag over the rag/stump and sealed it tight around the stump with a nylon pull-tie. This prevented the RoundUp from drying out. The next summer I pulled the dead stump. There never were any new sprouts that grew from the stump.

My dad used a product called Toxaphene to kill sumac - that was around 45 years ago. However, its now banned in the USA and also globally.

 

[jeff9366]

My method is to cut them off and let them hang for a year before I pull them off.

I have wild grapes. If you pull vines out of trees with a tractor, about one in fifteen times the crown of the tree will snap before the vines release.

Any that pull out easily, I remove. Tough ones I leave to rot, which generally takes 2-1/2 years.

I use 2-4,D herbicide on vines that try to climb again from ground level.

I have never had a vine, pulled from a tree, propagate.

 

[AllenBurns]

I'm going to try your method next vine I have to battle.

 

[jeff9366]

If you have a 1/2 acre or more with sub terra vines this is the answer:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ement-vine-root-removal-woods.html?highlight=

VIDEO: How to Use a Ripper / Field Cultivator - Gardening Series - YouTube

 

[Buxus]

My 32 acres in Maryland was neglected for years. There were wild grapevines 6 inches in diameter. I cut at 2 feet above ground, spray with Garlon 4. Remove the next 6 feet so it's not as much of an eyesore. I NEVER pull out the vines from the trees. Even if the whole tree doesn't come down, so many branches will be damaged the tree will look horrendous. After year 2 the pieces start falling out by themselves, and are soft and rotten and can be run over with a mower with no harm. FWIW, the grapevines are a piece of cake compared to wisteria, seed of the devil.

 

[6thgpSF]

I have wild grape,trumpet vine and bush honeysuckle.the two worse are prickley brier and wild rose.I cut them at ground level and treat w/Tardon....russ

 

[om21braz]

On poison oak with some vines wrist-size in diameter, 2 doses about 3-4 days apart during growth season of the below product worked as good as anything I've tried or seen.

Roundup PROMAX

 

[jay3534]

Thanks for all the reply's / it will be a big help

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

My method is to cut them off and let them hang for a year before I pull them off.

Agreed. The longer they hang up there the less likely they are to sprout. BONUS: A dead vine will come down more easily. It will lose its grip on the tree. I never try to pull down a green vine.


And once down, burn them.

 

[newbury]

Agreed. The longer they hang up there the less likely they are to sprout. BONUS: A dead vine will come down more easily. It will lose its grip on the tree. I never try to pull down a green vine.


And once down, burn them.

But be very careful if you burn POISON ivy. The smoke may expose not only the skin to the chemical but also the nasal passages, throat, and lungs. Inhaled urushiol can cause a very serious allergic reaction.

 

[GaryLock]

I have some LARGE vines up to 3 inch in diameter (some kudzu, some ivy and some unknown) . Plan to cut them off near the ground and spray when they start to green up. The question is if I pull the vines from the trees will any pieces that break and fall off take root?

I had a terrible infestation of the invasive vine, bittersweet. The only way to eradicate the bittersweet vines are to cut them to a few inches above ground, and then using an eye dropper, or other means, place several drops of glyphosate directly on the top of the cut portion. (Similar to the wet rag and plastic bag mentioned) Out of over 350 vines, only 10-15 grew back. Each year, twice a year, I find them, cut them, and kill them. The berries are carried by birds, so I could be getting neighborhood plants dropped on my property. But, after trying everything else, this is the only thing that works. You can buy a bottle of straight glyphosate at walmart or home depot around here. Worth the time and money for me, so I hope it helps as much for your situation.

 

[fried1765]

I had a terrible infestation of the invasive vine, bittersweet. The only way to eradicate the bittersweet vines are to cut them to a few inches above ground, and then using an eye dropper, or other means, place several drops of glyphosate directly on the top of the cut portion. (Similar to the wet rag and plastic bag mentioned) Out of over 350 vines, only 10-15 grew back. Each year, twice a year, I find them, cut them, and kill them. The berries are carried by birds, so I could be getting neighborhood plants dropped on my property. But, after trying everything else, this is the only thing that works. You can buy a bottle of straight glyphosate at walmart or home depot around here. Worth the time and money for me, so I hope it helps as much for your situation.

This method of "painting" the fresh cut stumps works especially well, and on any size stump/vine.
Glysphosate works, and is less expensive, but the very best is Gordon's Brush Killer with 2-4D.
With either, use a small throw away brush, and DO NOT dilute. Just paint it on the fresh cut surface.
Wear disposable latex or vinyl gloves.
Gordon's Brush Killer is available at TSC, and from Agri-Supply.
Gordon's is also the very best, in a spray solution, for poison ivy, when it is fully leafed out.
GOOD STUFF!