Outdoor climbers are some of the most beautiful plants around. Their vines will snake up any post or tree in their path, reaching for the sunlight with abandon. But what happens when your favorite climbing plant starts taking over?
To stop climbing plants from taking over, you should prune unnecessary stems regularly. Then, you’ll have to direct and limit its growth by using a trellis or other support structure. If you want to stop them permanently you can use natural and chemical herbicides as well as boiling water.
There are other steps you can take to stop climbing plants, too. In this post, we’ll walk you through them all.
How do you stop climbing plants?
There are many kinds of plants that we call vines, including climbing roses, ivy, and bougainvillea.
Technically, any plant with long stems that reach higher in the world by clinging to or twining around a support structure can be considered vines or climbing plants.
You can prevent the issue from climbing vines taking over everything in their path by choosing vines that are meant to live comfortably in the space you have. This is based on how much pruning a plant needs and what its rate of growth looks like. Fast growers will require more regular pruning and will grow out of control more rapidly.
Some of the most aggressive species include those that climb with aerial rootlets as well as species like Virginia creeper, which has little suction cups to help it stick to surfaces. Other fast growers include honeysuckles, wisteria, and bittersweet.
To stop climbing plants from growing and taking over everything in their path, you’ll need to give them some regular pruning. Ideally, this should be done early on so that the growth doesn’t get out of hand and pull down fences, block doors and windows, or collapse trellises.
When you prune, remove any damaged, dead, diseased, or unproductive stems. Of course, you should also remove stems that are tangled or are errant, growing away from the support or in a direction you don’t want them to. Pruning can help to both limit and direct the growth of the vine.
Pruning isn’t just beneficial because it limits the growth of a climbing plant. It also reduces the overall mass of a plant so that air and light can better reach the rest of it, helping to improve its overall health.
How do you get rid of vines naturally?
The steps described above will help you limit the growth of your climbing plants without actually killing them. This is the best method for gardeners who are trying to control the growth of climbing plants that they’ve worked hard to cultivate – after all, you don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste!
However, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to get rid of invasive vines. These are ones you did not plant and don’t want around. They might even be killing the plants you do have.
To get rid of invasive vines naturally, there are a few steps you can take. One of the most effective methods is to simply cut the vine down. However, you’ll also need to remove the root system, which can be challenging for some species with deep-set roots. This can also be a challenge if the plant has a root system of unknown origin or if it goes beneath a building.
If you decide to just pull or cut the vines, make sure you wear some sort of skin protection. Some species of vines can cause irritation to the skin.
When pulling or cutting the vine down isn’t the right choice due to its root system, another option is to smother the vine with mulch. Like any other plant, climbing plants require water, air, and light to survive. If you cover the area with a three-to four-inch-thick layer of mulch, they should die back within a few weeks. Plastic sheeting should do the trick as well.
You can also spray the vine with a mixture of 80% water and 20% vinegar. This will dry out the vine and kill it within a few days. However, it will kill all other plants it comes into contact with, too, so it might not be the best choice if you’re growing other plants nearby that you’d like to keep alive.
Finally, boiling water is another option. You can pour this directly on the root crown of the vines. It will kill them instantly. Again, make sure you don’t get it on plants you want to keep around.
How do you kill vines permanently?
If pruning your climbing plants isn’t an option and you don’t want to rely on the natural methods for killing them off that are listed above, there are systemic herbicides you can turn to as a last resort.
Again, these herbicides will kill anything and everything they come into contact with – so they aren’t a good choice if you have desirable plants growing nearby. You may be able to protect your plants by covering them with plastic sheeting while you spray, but make sure you also cover the root area to prevent chemicals from getting into the soil and contaminating your plants that way.
Despite the disadvantages of using chemicals, these products work quickly and effectively, great for someone who wants to stop climbing plants as soon as possible. Triclopyr herbicides are best for killing thick, woody vines, while glyphosate herbicides work better on herbaceous vines (those with lots of leafy growth).
In addition to spraying the vine stems themselves, you can also spray isolated leaves.
Final thoughts
The best way to stop climbing plants is to be diligent in your pruning. Most of the time, a simple haircut every now and then will keep vines in check.
If you’re looking for an easy way to keep your home or office plants from becoming a nuisance, be attentive to their growth. By using one of these simple methods, you can avoid having to deal with pesky vines and stems that seem to grow overnight.
