How to Kill Passion Flowers

Passion flowers are pretty but can be pests.

Passion flower is a family of climbing vines. They are valued for their bright blooms and their fast-growing vines, and some species of the plant have fruits and medicinal properties. Passion flowers are robust and aggressive vines, however, and can become a problem if they spread too quickly in a garden. Fortunately, passion flower is as easy to kill as any other small plant.

Things You'll Need

• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottle
• Plastic sheet

Instructions

1. Pour 70 percent rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. Other forms of alcohol such as strong liquor will also work.

2. Cover any plants near the passion flower gently with a plastic sheet or another cover to prevent the rubbing alcohol from getting on them. Rubbing alcohol will kill any plants it coats, so it is important to prevent it from coming into contact with them.

3. Spray rubbing alcohol over the passion flowers, covering their leaves, stems and flowers as completely as possible.

4. Observe the passion flowers in three days. They should be wilted and dying or dead. Spray any you may have missed and either pull out or cut back the rest.

5. Observe the passion flowers again in another week. They should all be dead.

Tips & Warnings

• Use rubbing alcohol on a calm day to avoid having the wind blow it in your face or onto nearby plants.

• Store the rubbing alcohol in its bottle between uses; it may evaporate from a spray bottle.

• Rubbing alcohol works by draining the moisture out of plants. It evaporates and is non-toxic except to the plant it gets on.

References

• This Garden is Illegal: The 7 Deadly Homemade Weed Killers