Honey suckle invasion

Hello!!! I have an honey suckle invasion..

Do I have to pull these alllll out by hand?? They're all over my garden I'm trying to work on and all over the yard...

If I was trying to get rid of those vines I would smother the vines with cardboard and then 6" of woodchips.

I have never tried pulling them so I don't know what happens when they are pulled.  It is possible they might multiply.

Amir,

That is some pretty invasive stuff!  I have had it also, but mine is now mostly contained or eradicated.  In my case, I pulled relentlessly.

But it was not quite as arduous as it seems.  Generally the vines pulled up fairly easily.  In my case I pulled them out till I found their central mass where several vines sprout out.  Pull out all the leading vines to their source.  Once you find the source, be relentless!  I dug down to sever the root as deep as possible.  I covered with cardboard.  If any new shoots appeared, I pulled relentlessly.  Don’t let it come back.

JH loves to climb for light so don’t let it grow up any surface.  It’s Achilles heel is that it really wants to go up for that light, giving you a great place to attack it.  If JH grows horizontally on the ground it is susceptible to being mowed and severely stunted.  Mowing alone does a really good job of stopping its growth along the ground.  If you pull any vines and especially any roots, burn them if possible.

One other, more drastic option is a controlled burn, but I understand that this is tricky.  Near my house is National Wildlife Refuge Land that is heavily infested with JH.  Some of this gets burned every few years and that really controls the JH.  Right across the road is State land that for reasons I don’t understand just doesn’t get burned or treated in any way even though the same mature trees dominate.  The difference is astonishing.

Any of these options can work, and can be used together in various combinations.

Good luck!

Eric

Eric Hanson wrote:Amir,

That is some pretty invasive stuff!  I have had it also, but mine is now mostly contained or eradicated.  In my case, I pulled relentlessly.

But it was not quite as arduous as it seems.  Generally the vines pulled up fairly easily.  In my case I pulled them out till I found their central mass where several vines sprout out.  Pull out all the leading vines to their source.  Once you find the source, be relentless!  I dug down to sever the root as deep as possible.  I covered with cardboard.  If any new shoots appeared, I pulled relentlessly.  Don’t let it come back.

JH loves to climb for light so don’t let it grow up any surface.  It’s Achilles heel is that it really wants to go up for that light, giving you a great place to attack it.  If JH grows horizontally on the ground it is susceptible to being mowed and severely stunted.  Mowing alone does a really good job of stopping its growth along the ground.  If you pull any vines and especially any roots, burn them if possible.

One other, more drastic option is a controlled burn, but I understand that this is tricky.  Near my house is National Wildlife Refuge Land that is heavily infested with JH.  Some of this gets burned every few years and that really controls the JH.  Right across the road is State land that for reasons I don’t understand just doesn’t get burned or treated in any way even though the same mature trees dominate.  The difference is astonishing.

Any of these options can work, and can be used together in various combinations.

Good luck!

Eric

Thanks Eric!!! I'll just get to pulling them all out before spring comes around. Luckily it's only the backyard and not the front yard!!!

Anne Miller wrote:If I was trying to get rid of those vines I would smother the vines with cardboard and then 6" of woodchips.

I have never tried pulling them so I don't know what happens when they are pulled.  It is possible they might multiply.

I mean I could smoother the whole backyard since it's gotten out of hand. I'll consider doing this... I have a ton of cardboard..

Eric Said, " In my case I pulled them out till I found their central mass where several vines sprout out.  Pull out all the leading vines to their source.  Once you find the source, be relentless!  I dug down to sever the root as deep as possible.  I covered with cardboard.  If any new shoots appeared, I pulled relentlessly.  Don’t let it come back.

This!

Find the central mass and then dig it out.

Anne Miller wrote:

Eric Said, " In my case I pulled them out till I found their central mass where several vines sprout out.  Pull out all the leading vines to their source.  Once you find the source, be relentless!  I dug down to sever the root as deep as possible.  I covered with cardboard.  If any new shoots appeared, I pulled relentlessly.  Don’t let it come back.

This!

Find the central mass and then dig it out.

Working on it... 🥵🥵🥵🥵

Best method i have found is to lightly torch the very tips of the growth. Not enough to burn it, just discolor it. It will kill itself trying to fix the slightly burned end

King Kale wrote:Best method i have found is to lightly torch the very tips of the growth. Not enough to burn it, just discolor it. It will kill itself trying to fix the slightly burned end

that's what I'm looking for haha. seriously this stuff is everywhere. It's crazy.

I know permaculture talks a lot about EDGE and how things on the edge can really come to life, like edge has a lot of biodiversity... and I live on the edge of a forest where a lot stuff happens. I need to try to control that edge this year with food forest crops and stuff.

For what it's worth, you can use the honeysuckle vines to weave baskets.  (And it is SO much easier to eradicate than trumpet vine!)

Tilley Martin wrote:For what it's worth, you can use the honeysuckle vines to weave baskets.  (And it is SO much easier to eradicate than trumpet vine!)

I spent some time cutting back the honey suckle. That's good to know it's kinda easy to get rid of... I think we have trumpet vine too, don't quote me on that I'll keep an eye out for it this summer.