Reference my earlier posts on Wild Grape Vine & Pollinators and Grape Vines as a Source of Water. Because of these posts, a reader wrote to ask how to eradicate wild grape vine; she preferred not to use herbicide.
Because the transition area between my prairie and my woodland has become a bit overrun with wild grape vine (Vitis spp) and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), I thought this was a really excellent topic for me to research.
Non-Herbicide Method
If you are averse to using herbicide, you can smother the stem end after cutting it from the rest of the vine. If you prefer, wrap ropes or tape around the bottom of the tarp to keep it secure over the root. Wild grape vine must have sunshine to grow.
Or, you can dig the root out of the ground after having cut the stem at the end. Be prepared, however, because this plant has a large root system.
Herbicide Method
The surest way to eradicate wild grape vine, or for that matter, any unwanted vine, is during the autumn, when they are pulling nutrients back into their roots for their winter nap. Cut the vine at the beginning of the stem and carefully and safely paint just the cut end of the remaining stump with herbicide.
The Cooperative Extension says “to cut them down at the base and IMMEDIATELY treat the freshly cut stump with an herbicide with glyphosate or triclopyr. Do not let the herbicide get on the trunks of your trees (or anything but the vine).” (Cooperative Extension)
A Caution
Any of these control methods will work for vines growing up into trees and shrubs. There is no need to remove the vine from the trees and shrubs, since it should decay and fall away on its own. However, if the vines have grown extensively overtaking the tree, you might try to remove vine stems from as far up as you can reach to reduce the weight on the tree. Do not pull the vines down since that will damage the branches of the tree.
Also, bear in mind none of these methods will kill any of the rest of the vine that is running/growing along the ground. These runners will either have to be pulled up or smothered, or cut where the roots have anchored themselves into the ground and the cut end safely and carefully painted with herbicide. This is the situation I in which I find myself in my transition area, and I think I should tackle this task soon.
You should discuss smothering more. I have used newspaper, cardboard and materials where water cannot get through,like car floor mats. I used roofing material, under mulch, which disintegrated too fast. I neglected my garden for over a year and various vines went crazy. I used a tabletop over a difficult area. I removed it a year later. It has three snakes under it; one with a big head. That disturbed me the most. I live in an urban area. The snakes crawled there apparently during the time I did nothing.
Good point, Cindy. Smothering can be accomplished with almost any material which is dense enough to keep the sunlight from getting through. A dark colored material will hasten the process because it absorbs more heat. The material needs, however, to not be made of a material which will contaminate the soil and/or groundwater.
I tried to eradicate my grape vine last year by cutting it and smothering it. My scotch pine trees were completely overwhelmed this year and I am worried they will die after this winter. I am starting a hard prune now that the leaves are starting to turn colour but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. It’s totally out of control. Will try painting every cutting but I am very concerned. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Cutting them short to the ground and painting them, Sherri, is the way to go. Don’t pull off the vines, but prune them to make it easier on the scotch pines.
I read on another side to use a tarp and wrap ropes or tape around the bottom of the tarp to keep it secure over the root.
That’s a good comments, Cindy. I’ll make an adjustment — Donna
That is a good comments, Cindy. I will make a adjustment to my post — Donna
This post is taken from the Wild Ones Native Plants Group and is a link to Indigenous Landscapes:
Please consider this: Not all Vines are Bad!
Read the photo captions as we differentiate between the niche dominating, exclusive growth of invasive vines versus the co-existing nature of native vines. We’ll also include recommended control methods for different invasive vines and add ecological tidbits on the native vine photo captions.
Invasive vines in their mature form will cover entire trees, and/or entire thickets, and/or entire ground layers. Where as native vines, in their mature form, will only occupy a section within a particular niche, usually co-existing with its host plant. We’ll demonstrate this difference through the photos and their captions.
Invasive Plant Photos: (8) shared between oriental bittersweet, kudzu (in Ohio), Porcelain Berry, Asiatic Wisteria, Japanese Honeysuckle, English Ivy (Treat the same way as Winter Creeper Eunymous), and Japanese Hops (Humulus japonicus).
Native Vine Photos: (13) shared between American Bittersweet, Grape vine species: Frost Grape (Vitis vulpina) and Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia), Virginia Creeper, Poison Ivy, Trumpet Creeper, Wild Potato Vine (Ipomea pandurata), and the native Hops (Humulus lupulus).
Please consider sharing for #NativePlantEducation
*As a For-Purpose business over 70% of the profit from our work goes towards funding our Native Plant Agricultural Farm Project, Public Education, and Volunteer Conservation Projects. For more info on our Native Plant Ag-Project, follow this link: http://www.pioneersprouts.com/
Hi! Kathy — yes, I agree. Not all native vines are as aggressive or as dominating as wild grape vines. Thanks for sharing.
Sadly, I found this article as I prepare to eliminate my corner of wild grape. The Spotted Lanternfly has moved in, and the vines have to go. Do you have any current information on this situation?
Thank you,
Lori Jo
NJ
Lori Jo — That’s what I know. I would kill off the main stem in the summer, and follow it with a new dose of herbicide in the fall — Donna
I am in the process of eradicating my grapevine as well and I’ve noticed that the spider and lantern flies are congregating on just the grapevines, i’m thinking probably because they are wetter than most trees they have a lot of sap or whatever is in them. When I saw the big base off my saw blade is really wet. I have been spraying the lantern flies with believe it or not zodiac flea spray! That stuff kills everything and I mean everything! I kill stink bugs visit ants spiders bees this stuff kills everything ! But unfortunately sometimes they are too high up and I can’t reach them
That’s good to know, Sarah — Donna
Please focus your eradication to the lanternflies. Bees are necessary for our food crops, ants and spiders all play a part. Do some google searches on your flea spray…you may be doing way more harm than good.
Sarah — I do not recommend spraying. I recommend “cutting the vine at the beginning of the stem and carefully and safely paint just the cut end of the remaining stump with herbicide.” When I have researched it, I will do a post of lanternflies — Donna
Sarah — one of my readers reminded me that you said “this stuff kills everything.” “Bees are necessary for our food crops, ants and spiders all play a part.” Lanternflies are invasiveness. Another one of the my reader has used organic pyrethrin since it doesn’t persist in the environment. Watch you YouTube channel How To Remove Spotted Lanternfly Eggs. There is not much you can do to defeat these invasive planthopper. What do you live?
What about tarps for smothering?
Valerie — any form of the “smother” while do trick: a tarp, newspaper, mulch, bag of leaves, etc. Wild grape vine must have sunshine to grow — Donna
So, if the grapevines are growing on my chainlink fence., all I need to do is drape a tarp over the fence? Can I do this a few sections at a time? I don’t have enough tarp to cover the lenght of my fence. Thanks
I don’t know if that will work, Geecee? I would like to know. But what do you do with debris after the vines die? That would be a mess! Why don’t you destroy the plant growth (the vines) and then you can smother the stem end. If you prefer, wrap ropes or tape around the bottom of the tarp to keep it secure over the root — Donna
Do you think landscape fabric would be effective by itself to “smother” vines and their in-ground systems? I am leery of using plastic tarps on the slope of a pond shore due to lack of infiltration. The site has TONS of vines and I’m looking to go “scorched earth” on them!
I don’t think landscape fabric would be effective, Dan, but it worth a try! Plastic bags, newspaper and mulch would be my suggestion. Plastic tarps would be okay. The root ball will hold the soil until you plant something else — Donna
I’m trying to get rid of wild grape in a ground cover. I had thought about the method of painting the stem where it enters the ground but then thought, no it takes nutrients from the ground out so that won’t work. I guess it’s a two way “street” though from what you are saying. I actually am going to stick the end into a small baggy of roundup. I want it to drink it up! I’m so tired of pulling that stuff out of my bed of pachysandra. Thanks for the reinforcement of my idea.
Just let me know, Billy, if that’s work — Donna
Help my neighbor wants my grape vine removed from my party fence the root vine is protruding out fence on her side!She wants me to cut what sticks out!Ive called a landscaper but if I can’t afford it what do I do?
Do what your landscaper recommends, Fran — Donna
I live in Poland. My wife and I have bought a property and we are trying to eradicate an old vineyard. 4000 square metres of overgrown vine that smothered trees, the ground, everything. The vineyard had been neglected for at least 14 years and the original vines have sent runners off in all and every direction and covered the ground in such a thick web of woody stems that the soil was invisible. We have put a lot of labour into cutting the vines. cutting the trees down, we want to turn the area initially into pasture and then arable land which it was before the vines were planted. Trying to paint each individual stem and dig out each individual runner will be impossible. We had a local farmer come and using a mulching machine behind his tractor after we cut everything to ground level. The next step will be wait for green growth again and then “hit” the field with herbicide like “Round-Up”. We hate the idea of using chemicals but this seems the only way to go. When everything, hopefully, turns black we’ll plough the field and that will, we hope pull out all the unwanted woody roots. We have no idea if this will work but we are desperate to clear this seriously neglected piece of land. If anyone has any further ideas we would love to know….please.
Nicholas — Read Digging in the Dirt. You have a tough job on the hands! — Donna
Nicholas —read Digging in the Garden. You have a tough job! — Donna
That’s the same problem we are having, Too much land to cut the stems. We have 100 acres that are becoming overtaken by this plant!!
Becky — “Severing the vines one to two feet above the ground is a very effective control method as long as the vines are growing under a forest canopy.” PennState Extention. Good luck — Donna
Thank you for the reply. A tough job indeed Donna. We use roundup gel to target individual nuisance weeds but the field with the vines is just way to extensive and we are talking about thousands of individual plants. my only hope is the liquid form and apply it to the field when the regrowth starts. Drastic I know but it will be, we hope, a one off use of chemicals in such a drastic form but we should at least end up with a field we can plough and re-seed with a good pasture mix initially.
I agree, Nicholas — Donna
We have been agonising over the best course of action and we have, for the moment decided to try as organic an approach as possible. We have managed to locate a source of straw from a local grain crop which were grown organically without any chemical spraying. We also have access to lots of old bales of hay which of course wont have been sprayed. We discussed the matter with various permaculture growers in the area and have decided to try and cover as much of the old vineyard as possible with a very thick (1/2 meter or roughly 18″ in US measures) to see if that will do the trick by excluding light. Seems worth a shot before resorting to chemicals. We’ll keep you posted but if it works or not the straw hay mulch can only be good for the soil.
Nicholas — I wish you luck! — Donna
As an update. We didn’t take the chemical root (pardon the pun). We ploughed the field twice last year (or rather a local farmer did) and then we pulled any roots that were left that we could get out, by hand! It was a tough job. The long hard winter seems to have made a real impact on the vines and they don’t appear to have re-emerged (yet?), maybe the sheer shock of being ploughed and then deep frozen! We then had a couple of resilient friends last week help us pick off the field all the cut stems that were lying loose on the field. We will get a contractor in with a digger to dig out the rest of the tree roots that were left in the ground and then get a forest plough in and then see how things stand. So far the field is looking as though it has the potential to be the blank canvas we want it to be, namely initially pasture which we can then start planning it’s long term cultivation and use.
Hi! Curious if you have any suggestions for a specific herbicide? I have never, ever done yard work before so I’m an absolute novice. I’m not even sure if there’s a proper way to “paint” the stumps? I appreciate any “getting rid of muscadine vines for dummies” advice you have! Thank you!