| Thursday Techniques: Getting Rid of Wisteria Roots |
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| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Thursday, 12 April 2012 | |||
 Wisteria, along with a few other vines including passion flower and trumpet vine are difficult to eradicate once established, as one Daily Dirt reader discovered after she transplanted her wisteria tree several years ago and found new shoots arriving on a regular basis--in the location where the wisteria used to be planted. The good news is that it is possible to get rid of wisteria and other vine root systems that have taken hold in the garden, but it may take some perseverance, patience, and some hard work. It may take a bit of digging around but you’ll need to find the largest roots and sever them. After that you’ll probably need to use a technique called “grubbing” which refers to removing roots and runners either by hand or with a small tool like a Pulaski Truper Axe  . Any roots that are not removed or dead will keep sending up sprouts, so in the meantime, keep removing any new sprouts that crop up starting in early spring, and at regular intervals. Cut as close to the root collar as possible. Eventually the root store will be depleted and cease sending up new shoots.If you get impatient, you can also try Roundup on the leaves of the shoots.
One last but very important tip, always place the roots and shoots in the trash can. Do not place any of the removed plant material in the compost pile or in the pile of grass clipping or brush. If you do, there’s a chance that you will have another crop of wisteria growing! Photo source: www.sagewoodherbfarm.com |
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