How do we get rid of vines? We have tried almost everything.
by
Sandra
+4
The vines are on our pond so we can not use chemicals. We have tried digging them out but it covers too much area. We have covered them with cardboard but no success. We have also tried mowing a section every other day all summer, but yes they are still growing. We have not tried salt or vinegar so as not to upset the ph of the pond.
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Do you know what kind the vines are? If they return after being cut down then my guess is that the vines are poison oak. Goats love eating vines.
Mowing means that all the goodness in the soil just goes to the roots making it even stronger so I suggest to stop mowing.
because of the pond try just really hot boiling water
What kind of vines are they? I wouldn't use salt because it will render the area pretty much unplantable. It's definitely not good for your soil. We have English ivy we've been trying for a long time to eliminate. And have it mostly irradicated, however it required a combination of pulling it up, digging it out and painting it with vegetation killer. If the vines are not growing out of your pond, painting vegetation killer shouldn't harm your pond, but definitely pull the vine off your pond
I've killed vines by gathering as much of them as I could and stuffing them into a garbage bag and then spraying poison inside the bag. I let them sit in the sun for a week. You might might use vinegar, salt and dish soap in the garbage bag for a non toxic weed killer. This works best in hot sunny weather.
Stop mowing them. That is the same as pruning them. They will grow back stronger than before. I have used salt to kill another type of weed and it worked very well. That is my recommendation for you but speak to a pond pro first. Wishing you all the best.
I would cut them back and paint the cut end with round up or something else. As long as the cut end does not go into the pond it will not affect it. By not spraying it you don't get overspray on anything else or in your pond. By cutting back and painting the cut end you are shooting the weed killer straight to the root of the vine only. Vinegar will kill any plant it touches, and kill any beneficial bacteria and algae in your pond, salt will change the salinity in you pond and it does not break down in the water of the pond.