How To Get Rid Of Invasive Vines

Vines are beautiful, but they can have a mind of their own and can cause a lot of damage. Things get even worse when you’re dealing with unwelcome vines that don’t belong in your yard. You’re not alone if you’ve ever struggled with how to get rid of invasive vines.

Inspect the area around the vines, identify the roots, and cut them at the base. Next, treat the stumps with glyphosate, a powerful herbicide, which will spread and kill the vines. Inspect the vines every few days until they die, dig up the roots, remove them, and bag the remnants. 

Bagging the dead vines is essential, as seemingly dead vines can grow back as new plants. Follow along as we explore how to get rid of invasive vines.

How To Kill Invasive Vines

The nature of invasive plants can be confusing because it can seem as if there is no rhyme or reason as to why they appear in your area. You can understand why you have kudzu in your yard if you live in the South, but some invasive vines appear in people’s yards because of illegal plant trade, wind dispersal, and contamination.

Regardless of why these vines appear, you can’t let them wreak havoc on your yard and home. They can destroy power lines, kill nearby plants, and damage your home’s exterior walls. You can get rid of invasive vines if you follow several key steps:

1. Identify The Vines

Today, you can find over 100 invasive vines throughout the United States. Whether it be kudzu, English ivy, or Japanese honeysuckle, you must identify which vine is wreaking havoc on your yard. You can find online resources that compile invasive vines by state, and that’s a great starting point. Many apps and websites let you submit pictures of plants and identify them within minutes or even seconds.

This is a great option if you have limited plant knowledge or if the invasive vines recently appeared and you’re confused by them. Otherwise, contact a local wildlife service, and they should be able to help you identify the type of invasive vines. Proper identification is important because it tells you what you’re dealing with, which will help you choose the removal method. Invasive vines often grow, spread, and behave much differently than the native varieties you’re used to.

2. Cut Them At The Base

Once you identify the vine, you can begin the process of killing it by cutting it at the base. Clear the area around the vines, if that will help you find the base, which is often necessary near a tree line. Don’t mess with the rest of its length yet, even if it’s coiled around your favorite tree.  Instead, trace the vine all the way to the ground and cut it as close to the root as you can reach.

You can use shears for thin vines, but you may need to use a pruning saw for dense, tough ones. If the area has many hard-to-reach vines, you can cut some of them a few feet off the ground. However, you’ll have the best luck cutting at the base. Throw all the cut pieces into a yard waste bag to ensure they don’t grow and turn into new vines. 

3. Treat The Stump/Remaining Vines

After trimming the vines, you’ll be left with stumps and lengths of growth that can easily take root. You can make vine removal much easier and prevent them from growing back by treating the stumps with a concentrated solution of glyphosate or triclopyr. These broad-spectrum herbicides are powerful enough to kill invasive vines, but they don’t discriminate. To ensure you don’t accidentally kill nearby plants, carefully brush the chemical onto the stumps. Apply it to the upper length of the vine at the point where you clipped it, and brush the chemical onto the lower stump, so the roots absorb the herbicide. Some people only treat the stump, not realizing that the upper portion of the vines can regrow and create a new monster. Treating the upper portion of the vines is just as important as treating the base itself. Glyphosate can take up to 2 weeks to work.

4. Unearth The Roots

Once the glyphosate has killed the roots, dig them out to ensure the vines don’t grow back. Grab a spade or a shovel and clear the area around the vine’s base. You may not be able to remove the vine completely, but you should remove as much of it as possible. Wet the ground around the base, to make it easier to dig a hole 6” to 12” deep.

Wear a thick pair of gloves. Wedge a shovel under the root, grab the top of it, and then pull hard. Leverage the shovel upward to dislodge the roots if there’s no give. Put the root parts in a yard waste bag. If you can’t remove a portion of the roots below ground, you can apply more glyphosate to ensure it doesn’t grow back.

5. Remove The Upper Vines

Now remove the upper length of vines, which should be easy if you treated the stump with glyphosate. The vines should now be discolored and brittle, so there won’t be so much resistance. However, you must call a tree removal service or power provider if the vines are on power lines. Keep in mind that removing vines from the side of your house or a large tree is dangerous, especially if you’ve never used a ladder.

You can hire a professional if you’re worried about the risk, or you can climb the ladder and gently pull the vines off the exterior wall or tree. Vines sometimes have “suckers” that help them cling to surfaces, which is what makes them hard to remove. Glyphosate weakens this grip, so you should be able to pull the vines down without damaging a wall or tree. Once they are down, put them in a yard waste bin and seal it.

Summing It Up

The best way to get rid of invasive vines is to cut them at the base, then treat the stumps with glyphosate. This herbicide will spread below to the roots and above to the upper length of vines. Wait up to 2 weeks, dig up the roots, remove the upper vines, bag them, and dispose of them.

Related Guides:

• Is It Illegal To Plant An Invasive Plant?
• Invasive Species You Should Never Plant In Your Yard