How to Remove Honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), a vining plant, and the shrub-like plant Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), are invasive plants that many people plant in the garden for their sweet smelling flowers. However, the seeds are spread by birds and other wildlife and the plants can come up just about anywhere. Also, the plants spread through their tenacious and invasive root systems. If control of the plant is desired, chop down the plants and spray the stumps with a contact weed killer containing glyphosate, such as Roundup.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning tool or garden shears
• Contact weed killer containing glyphosate
• Garden gloves
• Eye protection

Instructions

1. In late spring or early summer, find the area where honeysuckle plants are growing out of control or need to be removed. Follow the top of the vine or shrub from where it is actively growing to the ground. For honeysuckle vines, this may by 15 or 20 feet from the top of where the vine is growing.

2. Cut the vine or shrub 4-5 inches from the ground leaving stems with some leaves above the ground. Do not disturb the ground or chop pieces of the root out of the ground as the plant can reproduce from small pieces of the roots.

3. Immediately spray the remaining plant stump and leaves with Roundup or a herbicide containing glyphosate. Cover the stems, and especially the freshly cut end of the stem coming out of the ground, with the herbicide.

4. Remove all vines and stems that you cut away from the stump and burn if possible. Don't allow pieces of the stems to remain on the ground where they may take root and form new plants.

Tips & Warnings

• Some honeysuckle varieties such as coral honeysuckle are native to the US, not invasive, and make a desirable landscape plant.

References

• Honeysuckle
• Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
• Japanese Honeysuckle