Invasive Vine Removal from Trees

Information is from a colleague who works in the Greater Wellington Regional Council named Wayne Cowan (we live in New Zealand and I also have the English Ivy problem in Upper Hutt City where I live): Ivy is a major problem here as well but the alternatives such as Jasmine, Potato vine, Sweet Pea vine etc are not much better. Ivy is very difficult to kill given that it can take up sustenance through the small hairy tendrils that it uses to grip and climb, particularly so if it is growing on rotting trees or fences. However, if the main roots are cut at ground level and treated with a product containing Picloram (Vigilant Gel, Tordon Brushkiller etc) the plant will eventually desiccate and die as the tendrils can't take in enough sustenance in the long term to maintain the plant during dry weather. Hope this helps (I'm going to "give it a go" as well)

- good luck,
Sandy Beath-Croft,

Environmental Education,
Healthy Cities and Keep Hutt City Beautiful
Programmes Co-ordinator
Hutt City Council
Private Bag 31-912, Lower Hutt
30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt
Telephone: + 64 4 570 6758 (DDI and voicemail)
Mobile: 027 68 76 140
Facsimile: +64 4 570 6973
Email: [email protected]

Here in the Southeast United States, the subtropical environment is ripe for invasive plants. Local plant experts say that often the actual root, tuber, or other source of the plant needs to be physically removed (i.e. dig it up). Often this activity will need to be repeated until the offending green has been extirpated. Have fun.

Control the ivy in two stages: cut the vines at two points along tree trunks (one low, one higher) and remove the pieces in between to make sure you've cut all the aerial stems. Then use a woody weed pesticide with a surfactant (very important to get through the waxy leaf coating). Paint the newly chopped vine-ends with a full-strength mixture. Spray ivy on the ground with the recommended dilution. This is easiest in winter, when desirable plants are dormant and it's very clear what's ivy and what isn't. You may have to get stragglers the following winter(s) - ivy is persistent. I gather the homeowners are most interested in an evergreen groundcover rather than a vine or climber. Evergreen (southeast US) native groundcovers include Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens), creeping wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), partridge berry (Mitchella repens), coral bells (Heuchera - manymany varieties in practically every garden catalog you can find, often crossed with Tiarella), foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Lyre-leaf sage (Salivia lyrata - "Purple volcano" is a great variety available in many catalogs), woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata), and green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum). If they want vines: cross-vine (Bignonia capreolata), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), and Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans). Hummingbirds love these, by the way. There's non-natives, of course, I'm not as familiar with. What you pick is dependent on what you want: very low groundcover around stepping stones? Ankle-high groundcover? Erosion control? A replacement for a lawn? Ground cover under trees? Etc. Georgia has a Master Gardener program through its Cooperative Extension similar to North Carolina's - they are a great resource for homeowners and those putting together environmental education programs. http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/ http://www.caes.uga.edu/departments/hort/extension/mastergardener/

Trish

Patricia D'Arconte
Stormwater Engineering Technician
Town of Chapel Hill, NC

Another thing that has been used in the Southeast US is herds of goats. This has been a program the public likes, seeing goats grazing on kudzu along roadsides and in parks. Kudzu is an invasive non-native vine called "the vine that ate the south". The herds are trucked around to different areas, a simple fence is erected and herding dogs are left in the fence with the animals. It takes more than one "application" to eliminate the vines, and I don't know if it would work for your invasive species. Here are a couple of web sites: http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/wqg/northcreek_images/spooner.pdf http://sheepindustrynews.com/Targeted-Grazing/spotted.html

Laurie J. Tenace

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
PH: (850) 245-8759
[email protected]

Removing English Ivy and other invasives is an on-going effort in our region, often led by volunteer groups on public land, parks, etc. (e.g. Portland's No Ivy League working in Forest Park http://www.portlandtribune.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=1177972941 53983800, and volunteer events in City open spaces or state parks in the community where I work - http://lakeoswegovolunteers.blogspot.com/ ). An article in Thursday, 1/31 Oregonian newspaper, Home and Garden magazine, discusses two efforts in the Portland area to combat invasive species, including English Ivy, and others -http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/homes_gardens/12 0105512530190.xml&coll=7&thispage=1 What caught my eye about the Three Rivers Land Conservancy (http://www.trlc.org/ ) program is the partners development of a Backyard Habitat Certification Program (snip from article): Nearby, the Three Rivers Land Conservancy has teamed with the West Willamette Restoration Partnership as well as businesses, governmental organizations and 15 neighborhood associations to create a Backyard Habitat Certification Program. A year into the three-year effort, the group provides education and incentives to homeowners, especially those next to greenspaces, to attack ivy, blackberry, knotweed and traveler's clematis, along with garlic mustard and periwinkle.
 

Best,
Susan

Susan Millhauser
Sustainability Planner
City of Lake Oswego
PO Box 369 Lake
Oswego, OR 97034
Phone: 503-635-0291
Fax: 503-635-0269