How to Use Weed Killers to Control Invasive Vines Such as Honeysuckle, Smilax and Wild Rose

While fragrant, honeysuckle can take over a yard.

You can kill invasive weedy vines such as honeysuckle, smilax or cat brier, and wild rose using commercial weed killers without hurting the plants that they entwine themselves around. The roots of honeysuckle and cat brier become entangled with those of the bush, making it impossible to dig one out without harming the other. Using weed cutters does no good, as the invasive vines grow right back. Herbicides work when the vining weeds are actively growing, not when they are dormant in the winter.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• 5-gallon plastic bucket with lid
• Glyphosphate or triclopyr herbicide
• Drill
• 3-inch hole saw

Instructions

1. Locate the vining weeds in bushes, shrubs and trees in the landscaping, rooted under branches and right up to the main trunk. Most of the vine's leaves are produced at its top end, where it reaches the topside of the bush and is in the sun.

2. Put on gloves to protect yourself from thorny stems and free the weedy vine from other plant, pulling it out of the shrub without breaking its connection to its roots. Leave as many of the green leaves on the vine as possible so they absorb the herbicide. Cut off some of the honeysuckle branches to free the vine.

3. Fill half of the 5-gallon bucket with water and add a strong herbicide labeled for killing woody vines, such as ones containing glyphosphate or triclopyr. Wear protective clothing and mark the bucket to show that it contains weed killer. Drill a hole 2 or 3 inches in diameter in the lid with a hole saw.

4. Feed the leafy ends of the vine through the hole in the bucket lid and submerge them in the herbicide solution. These leaves and green stems take up the weed killer and feed it to the vine's roots, killing it. If the vine is very large it may have to be cut off, leaving a 5- to 10-foot-long leafless section. When new growth comes out, it can be treated in a bucket of herbicide. Put the lid on the bucket securely and let the vines soak for a week or two in the weed killer. Keep children and pets away from the bucket.

5. Check if the invasive vine's stem is dead back to the ground after the two weeks. Cut the vine at ground level off and remove the dead vine from the bucket while wearing gloves. Pour any remaining solution over other weeds and invasive plants or vine sprouts that have come up around the treated vine. Smilax with its large root system is especially hardy and may require several treatments.

Tips & Warnings

• Read all label warnings and instructions when using dangerous herbicides.

References

• Invasive Plant Control in Maryland: Maryland Cooperative Extension
• Penn State Department of Horticulture; Tips for Managing Problem Weeds in Forest and Wildland Settings; Art Gover; 2004