Defeating a killer vine: Round leaf bittersweet management 

Same! I can’t get rid of it it’s destroying my backyard

@@michellem5647 I'm doing exactly what the video said and have cut the vine and sprayed herbicide on the cuts. I'm hoping that will help me control it. Another video I saw said you can use vinegar and dish soap in place of herbicide if you don't have. Praying this works, this stupid vine is killing the trees in my backyard!

@@chelseamikel16 I've been battling it for a decade it's something that seems will never end so it's more like managing it's foothold and endless cutting it back

The earth and landscape thanks you, as do I .. wish everyone cared like you!

I live in Connecticut and this is killing all the trees along the roads and highways. I have been battling it on my property for years. It is the biggest pain in the ass

Yes, I totally agree. This is really critical. Otherwise, this is an excellent video.

Yeah. Just yank the stems from the ground if it's not too big. The roots are as orange as carrots so it's not hard to miss. It gets really bad if you let bittersweet go for several years. That's when it turns into the big woody trunks and chokes out other trees and plants.

Yes pull them out

First time?

The problem with doing this is that if you don't pull out the entire root you just stimulate new growth.

Bad idea. I have tried this and you will never get all the root so when you pull it up the root splits and sends up multiple vines. It's not good to just l Pull them

Birds defecate the seeds- I keep getting them under a power line the birds perch on

I live in Connecticut and in the last 2 years it has gotten really bad. I keep large clipers in my jeep and when I have time I cut them. I try and talk to people about this but most haven't even noticed it even though it's killing so many trees. It's horrible. Now all of our beach trees are dying. I think all this stuff is coming from China or Asia.

I’m not sure if this would happen within a year without physically removing them. But if you kill the vines at the base they will die, brown, and slowly fall apart

It is possible. But mulch is not a vector we usually think about when it comes to oriental bittersweet.

I just uprooted a bunch, but do you think covering the area with black garden sheeting then much would prevent it from coming back?

@@Jlander111 yes it will, until new seeds, land on top of the landscape fabric in the decomposing mulch, and then will continue to grow

Triclopyr, at least 8% for spraying on a stump. Be careful with it, it’s sticks around longer than Roundup. Mix it with liquid harvest laser blue indicator to see where you have applied it. Also can also get a small hand pump sprayer to put it in.

Why?

@@swift_goose Cordage

@@NikosKatsikanis and that makes sense

Anything with triclopyr in it worked well for me. I'd use a small paintbrush to paint it onto the stumps to avoid killing nearby plants.

This recommendation comes from a great resource put out by the MnDOT, Minnesota Noxious Weeds (www.dot.state.mn.us/roadsides/vegetation/pdf/noxiousweeds.pdf), from page 11: "Herbicides that act systemically such as formulations of triclopyr or glyphosate can be applied as foliar, basal bark or cut stem applications. Foliar applications are reserved for easy to reach foliage, re-sprouting or along fence lines. Once foliage is out of reach, application to cut stems or basal bark will yield the best results. " Another great resource for management of many different types of invasive plants, and organized by user experience, is the Invasive Plant Control Database: mipncontroldatabase.wisc.edu/ Good luck!

I'm in Maine and it's unfortunately spreading everywhere here. I'm hoping this will help take out the roots. Thanks so much Angela.

Good video. Good luck also. This stuff is nearly impossible to control.

William Morales Yup I’m in ma & it’s awful

Check the herbicide label for appropriate temperature information. As your as winter temps are warm enough for the stump treatment or basal bark treatment herbicides to be effective you should be able to treat Oriental bittersweet vines in winter.

I have neen using this on this vine in ohio this winter. Have been pulling small vines. It is impossible to completely get rid of this in our woods.

They do mention it in the comments, but the best herbicide to kill any thick aggressive vine will contain triclopyr, and there are many brand names on this list, including Enforcer Bush Killer, Bush B-Gon and Brush Killer-Stump Killer. You can find these brands in Lowes, Home Depot and Tractor Supply. Just follow the directions on the container for application amounts.

I wouldnt advise eating this crap!!!!! It almost killed my german shepherd!!!!!!!!

Poisonous to humans and pets

Just ripped a root out . And boy is it not pretty and had to look it up and find out if it was okay to have around or not. Its killing our rhododendrons which we have had since we've lived here Not sure where this invasive plant came from

@@airheadwonder Birds eat the berries and poop out the seed. Most of the different invasive vines come to your property this way. I’m glad I finally identified what it was. The roots are orange and are 100 times more underground. Pulling them out of my established plants was a nightmare. Two lawn services companies shook their heads and refused the work. When I saw the root system, I didn’t blame them for not wanting the job as two years had passed since I first saw them take over. I’m going to fight this bugger in the fall the way the video suggests.

@@nightmaher143 ive been ripping roots out piece by piece

Absolutely. It will ligate the xylem and phloem and what you see above ground is only half of the problem. The roots are allelopathic and can reduce the biomass of nearby trees by up to 50%. Bittersweet can choke out a 100ft tall tree in 10 years time and will stunt the growth significantly while it climbs. It is an absolutely devastating invasive vine.

@@shiftnsix I appreciate the in depth comment on this.