Frank Logullo wrote in message
...

Terri wrote in message ...

"Lecher9000" wrote in message
...
Some vines are growing into my pine trees. These vines have
broad,
7
pointed leaves on them. Will the vines hurt the pines? Should I pull
out
the
vines ? Or is it a "symbiotic" relationship of some sort ? I don't
know
what
variety of pines they are. The pines are about 6 to 8 feet tall, and
look
prety healthy except for some dead branches near the bottom. Lots of
new
growth
this spring, but some dead branches on the bottoms from the cold
winter
here in
Pa.

You have Virginia creeper on your pine trees. It is a symbiotic
relationship and will, in no way, harm your trees. Some people,
however,
do
not like the looks of Virginia creeper on their trees. If you are one
of
these people, there is an easy way to remove the vines. Go to your
nearest
swimming pool supply store and purchase a gallon of muriatic acid. Pour
the
muriatic acid, undiluted, into a pump-up sprayer and spray onto the
leaves
of the Virginia creeper. The vines will turn brown and die within three
hours. If you have any muriatic acic left over it makes a great
substitute
for tonic water in your daily toddy. Because of its peculiar flavor, it
completely eliminates the need for a twist of lime or lemon.

Cheers!

Poor guy asks a serious question and gets a wack job answer ;(
Frank

Absolutely. Why would anybody want to kill off this lovely plant? Virginia
creeper is not harmful to your tree, it's not symbiotic, it just clings via
little adhesive disks, unlike the horrible ivy that worms its way into your
tree with its little roots, and then kills your tree. And in the Autumn V.
creeper looks nice when the leaves turn red.

Here in U.K. we encourage Clematis (old man's beard) to grow up into our
trees, because they look nice when they flower.

Pine trees always seem to have dead branches towards the bottom anyway. Or
at least, mine do. Maybe you should encourage growth from the bottom by
cutting off the tops.

s.