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Controlling trumpet vine
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Date Posted: Mon, Sep 28 - 12:15 am
- I have a home in Richmond / Church Hill and I am having a lot of trouble getting trumpet vine under control. Every time I cut it back it keeps growing back and it grows so quickly that it can reach the roof of my house in a single season. I need to remove it completely, I think, or it’s going to keep damaging the house. However I’m also very cautious about using herbicides that might damage the rest of my garden - the vines are adjacent to my vegetable plots and I want to maintain an insect-friendly habitat. How would you recommend I go about getting this trumpet vine under control without doing too much harm to the rest of the plant and insect life?
- Thank you for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardener Help Desk! Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) is a vigorous native vine, and unfortunately, an established plant can be quite difficult to remove. It spreads through an extensive root system and readily produces new shoots, so simply cutting the vine back usually does not eliminate it. Persistence will be an important part of whichever approach you choose. If you would like to avoid herbicides entirely, you can cut the vine to the ground and dig out as much of the main root system as possible. Continue removing new shoots as soon as they appear. The goal is to prevent the plant from producing leaves long enough to gradually exhaust the energy stored in its roots. With a well-established trumpet vine, this may require repeated removal over multiple growing seasons. Given the size and vigor you describe, another option would be a very targeted cut-stump herbicide treatment rather than spraying the vine or surrounding area. Cut the main stems close to the ground and, following the product label, apply an herbicide labeled for cut-stump treatment directly to the freshly cut surface. Products containing glyphosate or triclopyr are commonly used for this type of treatment. Applying the product only to the cut stem greatly reduces the potential for contact with nearby garden plants compared with spraying the foliage. In my experience, I have had success killing ivy with this method using Stump Out Stump and Vine Killer. I put it into an empty bingo dauber bottle and then can easily daub it on after I've made a cut. To help keep track of which vines you've daubed, you could add a bit of dye to the bottle. Because glyphosate is non-selective, it can damage any green plant tissue it contacts, so care should still be taken around your vegetables and other desirable plants. Always select a product whose label specifically allows the intended use and follow all label directions, including any precautions regarding edible crops. After removing the main vines, continue watching the surrounding area for new shoots. Trumpet vine can sucker some distance from the original plant, and promptly digging, pulling, or cutting these shoots will be important even after the main plant has been treated. This approach should allow you to focus control specifically on the trumpet vine while minimizing disturbance to the rest of your garden and insect habitat. Since the vine is growing on your house, I would also cut and disconnect the upper growth from the root system promptly to prevent additional growth against the structure. Once disconnected, allow the upper vine to die back before carefully removing it from the house rather than pulling vigorously on attached vines. Good luck with this process!