I faced this problem about 8 years ago. Huge areas covered with honeysuckle and poison ivy. It took two years of Round Up to get rid of it. Round Up got rid of most of it the first year. I had to use Round Up again for the vines that came back the next spring. That got rid of everything except a honeysuckle vine growing through a beautiful Indica azalea. Obviously, I couln't use Round Up on it without killing the azalea. So one of my jobs every spring is to pull and hack at the honeysuckle growing through the azalea. Pulling it up is no solution, just a defensive action.
I have neighbors who won't do anything about the honeysuckle and poison ivy along their property line (the same neighbors who when the trim their #%&&(#@ red tips throw the branches in my yard for me to clean up and then complain people in this neighborhood aren't friendly), so every year I get more honeysuckle and poison ivy along the edge of my property. Round Up in the spring kills it until more grows into my yard the next year. I don't like using chemicals, but it's what I found that works.

I agree that Brush-b-Gone is the better product for woody vines (but many people refer to "round up" generically as any herbicide). I think the brand Round up also introduced a "woody vine" herbicide this year.

vsjo's suggestion of cutting and then painting the stump is a good one when pulling is not an option. Annual control for 2-3 years (either pulling or spraying) will allow you to gain the upper hand; it is just not really possible to get it all in one year when existing plants must be considered. As long as you accept that it will take several years, you can tackle it with gusto.

And obviously you are not alone! We have tons of honeysuckle too; one neighbor walked by as I was tackling the huge mound over the utility box and commented that it would "just come right back". Today that spot is beautiful shrub bed and I just hand pull the one or two sprouts that try to come back. The roots should run out of energy eventually!

Different vines may need different approaches - search the web about the best ways to deal with english ivy as it has a waxy leaf that is very resistant to sprays.

For a large vine you can cut it but leave a long piece to bend down and pin to the ground with the cut end immersed in a plastic cup with Roundup that has been buried level with the ground. This works for bigger stubborn vines like kudzu.

Eddie, I haven't thought to do that. How long do you leave the herbicide in the cup for?

i saw someplace that for a great big poison ivy vine you can duct tape a milk jug full of weedkiller on to it. i am planning to try it - vine up a dead tree, the vine's about one of my fists thick, so i'm going to duct tape the jug to the tree. even if the tree were still alive, i think the duct tape would hurt it less than the poison ivy vine. the trick with a live tree would be making sure only the vine went into the milk jug, so you didn't get herbicide into the tree. I'll let you know how it comes out!

I would leave the herbicide for as long as it takes, maybe a week or two.
Another trick is to put on a pair of rubber gloves then put cotton gloves over that, dip your fingertips in Roundup and go out and gently touch the vines you want to get rid of that are entertwined with the plants you want to keep. It doesn't take much Roundup to do the job but you may want to add a bit of liquid detergent as a sticking agent. This may not be practical for you but I had a large bed of English ivy and the way I got rid of it was to scorch it with a flamethrower. There may be an article about this on my website.

I can't believe I didn't think of this till now - There is a product that comes in a bottle like a ketchup dispenser and you simply squirt a little of the goo on the vine and it kills it. This product is called vine-x. You can google it and don't forget the dash.
(I had to slightly change the Subject line above so the system would allow me to make two posts in a row)

Eddie is right about the round up in a cup. I did this over a year ago and that clump of kudzu neer did come back. Sucks it up like a straw, especially when it gets dry.

I bought some weird "off brand" of killz all today from Rex nursery. The guy there said it is pretty potent.

I've also read that you can get rid of the big vines of poison ivy by using huge needles (I saw some at the feed store) and injecting the vines. My only fear would be juice squirting out of the vine as I'm shoving the needle into it. But I'd love to try it. I have two trees with very thick vines on them. I spray the foliage but it comes back the next year...

GGG

The problem with vines like honeysuckle is that the roots are EVERYWHERE! So until you get ALL of the root, it will keep coming back. Everytime you see a new sprout, spray or paint it with a brush killer. Eventually enough will go down to kill all of the root. Then birds will bring back new seeds and you can do it all over again.

I found this entire thread VERY helpful. It also gave me allot of hope.
We are going through a very similar situation. Kudzu and honeysuckle are our biggest foes,....and from what I've gathered,...combining the right methods and little stubborness can get you a long way. Good luck.

I remember reading on a thread here once that the little floral stem water things were great for this. Probably easier to use than a cup, plus no digging and pinning. Just get some from a florist, fill them up, cut a stem and pop it on. Best yet, no spills, no waste!

Can't identify this vine but you have to dig the bulb out and it may be attacted to many other bulbs. They look like yams and have a small amount of single roots coming out of the bulbs. The vine grows up to 20' in oak trees.
For the other vines, Virginia creeper, I simply cut the vine and paint with the vine killer. That method doesn't work for the"yam" vine.
Can anyone shed some light on this vine??

Your vine is smilax and it is native. Yes, it forms a bulb and you must get the bulb out completely to stop the vine. No "kill" will work on it. I find it very annoying but have dug them out and rid my yard of them.

GGG

There are some smilax that don't form tubers, they just end in a knot. One thing I've been able to figure out is that if they end in a tuber, the base of the vine has dozens of tiny thorns, going right down into the ground. Soak the area before digging and be prepared to follow the vine through a few twists and turns. I've dug up ones that looked like baking potatoes! Supposedly the Native Americans ate them (but don't try it on my say-so).

The one that ends in a knot is very bamboo looking (lustrous smooth green stems), with fewer (but bigger) thorns. The knot sends in shoots in several directions, so you may reach the knotty root from several vines. The underground roots have nodes, also very much similar to bamboo.

I am blessed to have both species in my yard! Plus there a third one with very large thorns and a mottled stem. Not sure about it's root system yet ....

good advice. I have invasive honeysuckle on my land. trying to keep at bay what is creeping into the yard and the edge yard beds, the back woods has a bad case. My son whacks away at them as he can to try and keep them from choking out trees, but what a job. Will try the round up though I am normally organic; but this just isn't getting it. I figure it is not so horrid as the stuff was never supposed to be here in the first place. Deer eat some poison ivy but not enough. I like the straw like idea, but instead of a cup a bottle. more enclosed and easier to keep in I think. Those small flower reservoirs might not be enough to kill them all. Still think pulling them out helps some.

Try the Brush B Gone or RoundUp poison ivy control both control triclophor(sp) and it kills kudzu.poison ivy etc.More effective than just round up alone. A mix ofboth chemicals.. the glyco.in roundupand the try. workswell.. Thats why the round up poison ivy control is more effective than justroundup on some things. Good luck. I have a battle with an 1100 ft fenceline with a neighbor who had poison ivy, kudzu,honeysuckle, vitgina creeper etc and NEVER does anything about it.

I have a vine on my entire property that has nasty thorns on it. The leaves are heart shaped and some of the roots ie:tubers are enormous. We've cut down old vines that are the diameter of my thumb. HOW do we eradicate this vine without digging every single tuber out. I'm talking bushels and bushels of these tubers from 7 acres of property. Somewhere I read some vines are edible for salads and the tubers can be dried for a starch flour. Any help would be appreciated. If anyone WANT the tubers... email me and we can make arrangements but bring a pickup truck.

Note: Round up is not an option. We have a organic farm in NY and NY has a law that banns Round Up.

sounds like y'all are getting paid to sell weed killer

a big kudzu vine is a lot easier to get rid of than a lot of little ones,

just cut off the crown an it is history - that easy

Jolyn, your vine sounds like smilax, supposedly the tubers are edible, I tried and find them extremely fiborous and bitter

if you don't want to dig you can cut or mow where you can get to them, it will take a while, a long while, to deplore the storage roots, but eventualy the plant will die

jolyn ,roundup is not banned in NY I buy it all the time. I have 200 feet by 30 feet of vines where do I start?

I'm trying to eradicate honey suckle, smilax (cat brier) and other invasive vines/plants from my yard. I applied the PI Roundup yesterday. I don't like to use RU, but this is getting ridiculous. I also have privet and some kind of plant that is coming up everywhere. A woody 'tree' like plant that spreads underground. I pull what I can, especially the seedlings, but now I'm trying to kill the source.

Killer

VInes in Michigan

@tealtealblue... Virginia creeper vine- careful it usually grows near poison ivy... which is funny because the Cherokee used their leaves to make a salve to cure poison ivy! As far as vine control, it depends if you have trees in the same area what chemicals you might choose. On good method is get old carpet removed from a house (it is permeable to allow water in but nothing can grow through) then cover that with pinestraw for better appearance! I use carpet in between rows in my blueberry patch, works like a charm and can usually find large free volumes on craigslist!

I live in Oklahoma City and am over run with a vine called cocculus carolinus. I am wondering if there is any way to get rid of it.... how many years can it live without being planted again from seed...I have tried cutting the stem and painting with brush killer and that doesn't work very well either.. I am looking for ideas... RobertNixon at cox dot net

Be careful when using products like roundup all the time because they can saturate the ground and contaminate the soil so that nothing will grow there. We have many customers that have had this issue with their lawns and grass will now no longer live. if that happens, you have to replace the soil. There are several alternatives to chemical weed killers like mixing vinegar, salt and dawn dish detergent believe it or not. You can also use baking soda and sometimes cornmeal. Yes, that sounds a little crazy, but you won't completely fry your yard and it's pretty inexpensive.

interesting, am I the only one here not running about with a spraybottle of poison but a shovel and a steak knife?

it took me a while to dig and cut (almost) all kudzu on my property below the crown, serrated knife works best, once it has to start from scratch it is easy to control
Smilax is not as easy to kill but will get weaker every time you cut it, when the ground is wet, pull up seedlings, separate the vine from the tuber and they are done
honeysuckle is annoying but easy to pull up, poison ivy is even more annoying and bigger, take an axe or saw to big vines climbing trees and pull up roots as possible, it will vanish eventually
the only thing you can keep at bay but not make go away is English ivy, but if you pull up serious ammounts and feed it through a chipper it will make great hot compost

my property in Duluth is surrounded by overgrown plots, but mine is fairly vine-free

These suggestions are very helpful! I have a problem with a red and green vine full of stickers.

This vine is taking over my yard. I've tried weed killer but it doesn't do very good. Does anyone know the name of this vine or how to get rid of it. I live in south Mississippi.

your description is a bit scetchy, look up smilax, here they come with green and red foliage

and then clip and dig, dig, dig

Thank you for responding. I have come to believe that it is a wild blackberry vine, but it's popping up all over the place.

Cover the shrubs with a plastic paint cloth (cheap and light) on a windless day. Weight the corners of the cloth down with rocks. Nuke the viney stuff with Roundup. Wait an hour or so. Remove and dispose of the cloth. Repeat as needed. Some folks use a trimmer to remove the leaves first and wait until new leaves start to emerge. Keep at it.

those blackberry vines are hard to get rid of, they popup everywhere in my yard

I know a landscaper that mixes deisel fuel, roundup, and dawn soap in a sprayer. The soap helps the mixture stick to the leaves. he swears it will kill ivy and vines with one application.

We've moved into a new house which has been left for a few years....and there is a big vine in the tree next to our house (neighbors yard)....and the vine seems to have covered all the ground in our garden (on top and underneath too)...so of the vines are thick, like an inch thick, and hard like a branch...

Someone help me too?

We've been hacking them away with a pick axe...but it's exhausting (Atlanta heat!)

I tried to post some photos...but haven't been allowed? (Maybe because I am new?)

can anyone tell me which type of vine this is. Just moved into a clearly neglected yard. There are also the same leaves growing up through the grass toward the house. Would like to get rid of it all!

Please remember advise from a few persons above about chemicals, their buildup overtime and...round up is made by monsanto corp who made agent orange that killed my husband 4 yrs ago after being exposed to it 40 yrs ago.

We had a vine that did not flower but the leaves look like wisteria leaves. My husband removed the plant and found roots for several feet around the area. He dug up as many as he could get to at the time. We have a small yard and the roots are still spreading after well over a month and now new plants are coming up various places in our yard, even between bricks. We are concerned about our sidewalk and nearby lawn. What are the suggestions for this mess??? Please help us. Also, just curious, do you this think this is some type of no flowering wisteria if there is such a plant? It grows exactly like one. Thank you!

I too have wisteria vines that have covered my yard and even climbed up the outside of my house. My problem is that I have a creek on my property that runs into a large lake that is quite famous in Georgia. I don't want to contaminate the lake with poisons that would probably kill the occupants of the lake and potentially cause harm to humans as well.

These vines have taken over. I plan on a winter attack since they are already starting to turn color for their dormant season. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated. H E L P

@lenny I currently have the same problem- what ended up helping?

How to kill invasive lily of the valley if amongst other

What you need to do it get Roundup. You are going to apply it 1 1/2 times more than the dose calls for. For example if it were to say 1, you spray another 1/2. You need to do this every 2 weeks for 6/8 weeks. If you continue to do this, you should be able to get rid of any invasive plant. This is a continual application that allows you to tackle the plant, but not poison your yard and soil. The key is persistence and the correct amount of Roundup. people usually use this and overspray areas of their yard and that's when it becomes bad for your lawn and soil. Every once in a while you may have a plant that takes slightly longer than this time frame to completely kill off, but not usually if you follow these steps.

I read boiling water will kill invasive plants. Is this true?

I would then kill any remaining "invasives" by painting the Round Up on the leaves. Does this sound like it will work?

There are some home remedies that can kill invasive plants in some situations. I'm not sure if that will work with these type of plants, but there is no harm in trying since you would just be working with water. You can certainly try the boiling water and it might work, but I would do the RoundUp application over a 4-6 week period.

Keep in mind that with remedies like boiling water and vinegar, you will also be killing any beneficial microorganisms or earthworms in the soil, and potentially also harming roots of nearby plants and trees. Roundup painted on a freshly cut stem is a lot more targeted (and works splendidly for thick poison ivy vines and mahonia stumps).

I have the same issue. I bought a house full of vines that are out of control. Climbing everywhere and up the trees! I have a hops vine that I have no use for. Please help anyone! I get rashes every time I go there to try and pull these vines! Ugh

What you need to do it get Roundup. You are going to apply it 1 1/2 times more than the dose calls for. For example if it were to say 1, you spray another 1/2. You need to do this every 2 weeks for 6/8 weeks. If you continue to do this, you should be able to get rid of any invasive plant. This is a continual application that allows you to tackle the plant, but not poison your yard and soil. The key is persistence and the correct amount of Roundup. people usually use this and overspray areas of their yard and that's when it becomes bad for your lawn and soil. Every once in a while you may have a plant that takes slightly longer than this time frame to completely kill off, but not usually if you follow these steps.

the problem im having with vines is that cutting them is impossible since they are literally 12inches thick or more in most spots.. in fact they are as thick as a tree.

A bow saw works well for thick trunks in tight spots, or use a chainsaw pole pruner. Paint on straight Roundup solution with a disposable paintbrush immediately after cutting.

Get a small coke bottle and fill it with roundup halfway. Put the bottle in your flowerbed or wherever the problem is, if it is a vine just take one of the trailers and put it in this bottle of roundup. It will take a couple of weeks but you will see just the vibe dying. For trees, we just drill a small hole and put roundup once a week in the hole or stump. Hope this helps! P.S. I bury the bottles to the neck if possible so it doesn't accidentally spill..

I let my yard go for years (Tucker GA / NE Atlanta). I don’t have expert knowledge, but this is what I have done. Ignore the spam on my name (I will probably see any replies).

I have privets, Chinese honeysuckle, Greenbriars, and of course poison ivy. Two years ago about 10 pine trees were cut down, and all these invasive species exploded in the backyard. In two years time the privets are 20 feet tall, some of them wrapped in poison ivy and Honeysuckle vines).

Two years ago I chopped the large poison ivy vines from the pine trees, and I sprayed the poison ivy leaves that were growing around those trees. Two years later all that poison ivy is gone.

The same round up that works on poison ivy has no effect whatsoever on greenbriars nor privets (and strike3, very little effect if any of the honeysuckle). I could mix the poison and stronger, BUT ITS POISON (so I don’t want to do that for spraying). So I bought a plastic paint can and about 50% strength concentrated poison, that I plan to use [strategically rather than sprayed it everywhere] to paint the stump of vines after I cut them. And to girdle some of the privets.

In the last few weeks I have cleared about half of my backyard (I put a metal blade in a string trimmer, and it will chew up the vines and the greenbriars that like to twist around each other, but not the privets). Of course the first part of the yard I cleared already has 2 foot weeds growing again.

After I cleared this area there are so many roots on the ground from the honeysuckle that the whole yard looks like a plate of spaghetti. I’m thinking about hiring a contractor to use a skid steer to scrape off the vines, then maybe I could plant some grass and get the mower in there for regular maintenance.

I’m not sure what the name is but I have clinging vines all over the back of my house. They are climbing up the wall, covering the windows and screens, on the deck the hand rails they are everywhere. is there some product on the market that will completety kill them. im 75 years old and cant cut all the stems its to much.