"motu5867" in
om:


"
We recently moved into a house with a rather wild vine filled
backyard. I have been hacking away at these things since fall and
have removed most of them from the smaller trees but with the
advent of spring, I'm afraid it will be a losing battle as the
ground is full of runners.

I was a bit reluctant to spray it all with vegetation killer as we
have several chestnut trees with a gazillion nuts on the ground and
lots of small wildlife.


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...ISO-8859-1&q=%
22Japanese+Honeysuckle%22+control++%7Ceradicate+

Thanks, Gardn.
Yes, I think that may be what I've got. I've got a ton of this just
smothering everything. Should I try to just spray it all with
something like Round Up? I've been trying to pull it up out of the
ground and off of the trees, but it feels like it is going to win out.
I would like to plant an understory of azaleas and such eventually.

frequently ripping the top off a plant makes it shrink overall. then it
might come out by the roots. i've never had a major honeysuckle problem.
i've been able to rip out most of it, and not worry about regrowth. but
if the base is pulled out, i *think* the leftover roots won't sprout
leaves.

you might have already seen whether this is true


there are thorny vines wild rose?

probably in sunnier locations? this is most notorious rosa:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...ISO-8859-1&q=%
22Multiflora+Rose%22&sa=N&tab=wi

Not sure about this. Mine aren't really bushy, more like 10 ft thorny
vines that like to wrap around my feet. Lots of little thorns very
close together, haven't noticed any flowers as yet. They are in sun
and dappled shade locations.

you could take a sample to nursery (flowers or fruit included. as many
parts help id or just recognition)

but you already know it's a weed.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...%22+control++%
7Ceradicate+%22southeast%22&spell=1




http://home.bham.rr.com/meyepage/

all of those reseed from surrounding properties.

Eewww, I didn't want to know that.

We are transplanted

from where?

Michigan is my home state, we spent 15 months in Indiana more
recently. I am accustomed to clouds, lake effect snow, cold, and
black dirt. I am getting used to sun, tornado watches, heat, and red
clay ;-)

i'm in calif.

in zone 7b, Alabama. Thanks for any ideas.

when dealing with weeds, attack the most prolific species first. all
other plants will compete.

cheap, fast, and controllable plants serve as partial smother/cover
crops against shorter sun loving weeds.

Suggestions? The good thing is that the soil in the woods is
diggable. The soil in front of my house is dense red clay and I need
a pick axe to dig a hole if it is dry and it sucks my shoes off my
feet if it is wet!

is the soil in the woods truly different? or was it just not stomped
down?

undisturbed vegetation, with leaf drop, seems to create a nice loose top
layer.