Eliminating Tough Vines in the Landscape
Ever heard of Smilax rotundifolia? It kind of rolls off the tip of your tongue, doesn't it? Does it sound like a nice plant?
Folks, it is anything but. It is, A.K.A., a round leaf green briar or "horse briar". Get the picture?
I've seen it wind itself everywhere; twenty, thirty feet into trees and sometimes completely covering shrubs. It is a thorny, wiry vine with a deep-rooted knotty nodule-type root. Believe me; it is hard to get rid of! And it can hurt you!
I have tried pulling, digging, cutting, dabbing, painting, swearing, and a little voodoo, but to no avail. And, when it grows up in the middle of a shrub, well...forget it. Until now!
This will be the fifth year I will have used this method and I hope to see continued successful results. It is also time to share this information with ASA members.
First you need some Floral Water Picks. I call them vials or capsules, but they are a florist thing. They use them to stick flowers in a small amount of stored water and arrange them in Styrofoam, wreaths or whatever.
I purchased mine from a hobby store at a cost of one dollar for a pack of 12. If you don't have a store like this, try your local florist. I'm sure they will part with a few.
A hint: the picks are dull green plastic and can easily get lost. I spray mine with a bright red paint to make them easier to see.
A basket or a piece of Styrofoam to stand them up is handy for preparing and carrying the vials.
Next you will need some herbicide. I've used RoundUp, Killzall, and Spectracide Brush Killer. Fill the vials with an undiluted solution. The pick holds 9ml, but use about 5 or 6 ml. In the past I've used an old syringe from a printer ink cartridge kit to fill the pick. Even used a meat or poultry injector. Now days, I've incorporated a 4 ounce plastic bottle with a Yorker style spout cap. I purchased mine from an Ace Hardware but again, you can find 'em at a hobby store.
Okay, you are now ready to go forth and do battle! Simply select a vine with length enough to handle outside the shrub. Better yet, long enough to bend to the ground so you can anchor the pick. Make sure the vine has a wide enough girth, about the size of a "match stick" to make a tight fit in the vials rubber cap. Cut and strip away the leaves, thorns, etc. Insert the cut end into the vials cap, down into the herbicide, making sure the vial is bent downward.
Next step: Walk away! In a couple of days you will see the results. That's it! Later you can come back and retrieve your pick and move on to the next war zone.
I have tried this on other vines such as honeysuckle, blackberry, kudzu and Virginia creeper, with the same great results. Wild grapes are another matter. Seems like they exude so much sap, that it forces the herbicide out of the pick! Maybe my timing is off?
Speaking of timing, I start treatment from late spring on into late fall.
Oh, one other thing, when working with any chemical - read the label!
