Advice on clearing out a bed

aninocentangel · May 21, 2009

I have a bed on the SW side of my house that is bursting with a male trumpet vine, the kind that you order cheap from those shady catalogs that sell tomato trees that produce ten pound tomatoes. Yeah, that's the one.
The bed also has some holly and an azalea, which I had been trying to save, but at this point I'm ready to give up on them and just get the thing cleared out.

I've tried putting boiling water on it. That killed the the plants where I poured the water, but they just zoomed up through the rest of the bed that much faster. Last year I declared war and dug everything out of it, hitched a rope up to my car and pulled the big clump of root out and then sifted through the soil to get as many of the roots as I could. I was armpit deep in the hole still pulling out roots nearly as thick as my wrist when I gave up on that. I washed all the dirt off the shrubs, meticulously picked all of the trumpet vine out of their roots, and put them back in. The trumpet vine was back within a week. (side note, I though the root grooming would kill the holly and azalea, but they're doing better than ever this year too. I also discovered that I'm allergic to holly.)

This year I just want the stuff gone. It's tearing up the house. Last night my son showed me where it's grown under the siding, through his window screen, around his storm, and into his room through the weather stripping next to the window lock.

How the heck do I get rid of this stuff? At this point I'm open to all suggestions, including herbicides, petro-chemicals, heck I'd almost try nuclear waste but I'm afraid that it'd like it.

Thanks for your time.
Enjay

PS the trumpet vine was something inherited from the previous owner, he planted it the spring before we bought the house. Had I known then what it was I'd have torn it out immediately, but they promised me that it would produce big yellow flowers that attracted hummingbirds, and that it would just grow on the pillar right where it was planted. It did, as long as I took the machete to it a few times a week.

ContainerTed · May 21, 2009

Azaleas are very hardy and tolerant of being moved and they seem to love to have the soil around them loosened up. I kept a dozen of them alive in two wheelbarrows for 3 months during our last move. They started blooming, and I let them finish and then transplanted. So, I wouldn't give up on the azalea if you really want to keep it.

As for the trumpet vine, have you tried something like Roundup. I would probably do some careful spraying with the idea of getting to the roots without exposing a lot of other plants and soil. Something like newspapers or cardboard to catch any overspray and just coat the trumpet vine.

Anyhow, I DO wish you luck on solving this one. Just be careful about what you use to get rid of the undesirable plants. Some products last a long time in the soil and that would mean a long wait for something new or different.

Ted

aninocentangel · May 21, 2009

Thanks Ted.
The whole yard is lined with azaleas so I'm not too worried about keeping this one but it's nice to know that I don't have to sacrifice it. I am a bit more worried about transplanting trumpet vine roots with the shrubs.

I was having a look-see online, and found Ortho Brush-B-Gone Poison Ivy, Poison Oak and Brush Killer Concentrate.

I wonder if that would work? I do plan on planting lettuce there next year and the Ortho is supposed to degrade faster than Roundup.

ContainerTed · May 21, 2009

I've used Brush-B-Gone before and it works very well. Just don't be in a hurry. It takes a while, but it will definitely get to anything you spray it on. My lot is adjacent to a stand of hardwood trees and a lot of "BRUSH". The Ortho product keeps it back.

Expect 1 to 3 weeks for results. I got impatient the first time, and sprayed again and again. It killed almost everything I put it on. Poison Ivy, "thorny" vines, and other vine things and scrub brush.

Good luck on your venture. You might try that azalea in a container.

Ted

Amigatec · May 21, 2009

You might a butter tub, cut a slot in the lid, and fill it with straight Roundup. Cut the vine and stick into the slot and down in the Roundup, let it get a good drink, that just might do it.

I have used staight Roundup and a paint brush before just be careful with it.

Also the Roundup you buy from Walmart is only 18% strength, do yourself a favor and go the feed store/coop and buy some good 41% stuff. It costs me about $90 for 2 1/2 gallon but the 41% stuff knocks the weeds down.

aninocentangel · May 21, 2009

I didn't know that you could keep an azalea in a container. This one is pretty small, probably about waist high, it might adapt to that. Need to be a big container though. Hmm...

I lived in Georgia for a couple of years, my avatar is a picture of the neighbors house when we lived on the Chattahoochee. After she passed the kudzu pretty much flowed out of the trees and engulfed the house on it's way to the river. I think it took all of 4 months?
If the Ortho keeps that stuff in check I'm pretty sure it'll mow down the trumpet vine for me. Thanks!

aninocentangel · May 21, 2009

Amigatec, good to know! I'll make sure to check the feed store, I need to get in there and pick up some fertilizer anyway. Checked the online prices and WOW, $189! Sounds like local is definately the way to go.

ContainerTed · May 22, 2009

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't know that you could keep an azalea in a container. This one is pretty small, probably about waist high, it might adapt to that. Need to be a big container though. Hmm...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

My azaleas didn't/don't have deep roots. Most of the roots tend to be very small/thin and shallow with only one or two larger ones. They tolerate cutting well when transplanting. I give mine a helping of miracid fertilizer about twice a year. The dogwoods love it, too.

So you may not need a really deep container. I'd probably pick a nice display point and set something up there. Add some soil in there (yes, I said SOIL) to give the roots something to grab and hold down the plant in the wind.

Interesting that you lived on the "Hooch" as (you know) we call it here. And I actively pursue anything that remotely resembles kudzu with my bio-mechanical weaponry.

My home is in a gated community about three miles from Holiday Marina and the entrance to Lake Lanier Islands. Small world.

Ted

aninocentangel · May 22, 2009

I had noticed that the azalea didn't have much of a root system when I dug it up last year, but I attributed that to being crowded in the bed and overrun with trumpet vine. I do have a wooden half barrel that has some herbs and a tomato in it that would probably be big enough for that azalea, although it would have to be seriously cut back by half at a minimum or it would be blocking the path around the corner of the house. When would be the best time to do that, before moving it, next year after it's established itself in the container? I'm not worried about missing a season of flowers if it means the bush gets to hang around. I kind of like the idea of having a "pet" specimin azalea, the rest of the ones we have are full grown giants that resist all attempts at domestication.

I've heard of the places you've mentioned but haven't been there. It sounds like a really nice area.
We lived in Columbus, GA, in a 90 yo stilt house that was originally mill housing. The area that the neighborhood was in was being reclaimed by the city (a crying shame because there is so much history being lost because of it) so there were whole blocks of rotting, abandoned houses back then. The house we rented was really cute and very well maintained at the time but the owner passed on and we had to move. It's been empty for 5 years now but here it is. It really was an adorable house with a rose bush by the front gate and extra wide heartwood pine flooring that you just can't get anymore. There were too many trees and the yard was at such a grade that it made walking rather precarious so gardening wasn't something I did there, but I still miss that pecan tree in the front yard!

ContainerTed · May 22, 2009

You really should be past the peak bloom time for azaleas in SC. So, if you're not concerned about blooms, go ahead and tranplant and trim back now. Put it in partial shade until you see an indication of new growth.

Take care and let us know how it does.

Ted

stormymater · May 22, 2009

Roundup works best when it is HOT outside (>80 degrees F). LEt it steam up & then go to it with the highest concentration you can get.

ContainerTed · May 27, 2009

Our local groundskeeper was spraying the sidewalk edges and such, so I asked what he was using. He answered that it was called "Prosecutor" and was made by a company called "Lesco".

I googled and found this link:
http://www.chippersinc.com/documents...cutorLabel.pdf

It says that there is no ground retention or residual action. It only kills what it contacts and anything that comes up after that is not affected.

I have seen this work, and it REALLY works well. If you haven't started clearing yet, you might look into it.

Ted

aninocentangel · May 27, 2009

Thanks so much Ted (aka tomatoman

)
I haven't even started trying to clear out the bed, it's rained every day since I first posted about it.
I see that there's a store that is supposed to carry the product line just up the street from my chiropractor, I'll stop in and see if they have it next week when I have my appointment. Hopefully the ground will have dried out some by then.

May 21, 2009	#1
aninocentangel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: 8a Coastal SC Posts: 251	Advice on clearing out a bed I have a bed on the SW side of my house that is bursting with a male trumpet vine, the kind that you order cheap from those shady catalogs that sell tomato trees that produce ten pound tomatoes. Yeah, that's the one. The bed also has some holly and an azalea, which I had been trying to save, but at this point I'm ready to give up on them and just get the thing cleared out. I've tried putting boiling water on it. That killed the the plants where I poured the water, but they just zoomed up through the rest of the bed that much faster. Last year I declared war and dug everything out of it, hitched a rope up to my car and pulled the big clump of root out and then sifted through the soil to get as many of the roots as I could. I was armpit deep in the hole still pulling out roots nearly as thick as my wrist when I gave up on that. I washed all the dirt off the shrubs, meticulously picked all of the trumpet vine out of their roots, and put them back in. The trumpet vine was back within a week. (side note, I though the root grooming would kill the holly and azalea, but they're doing better than ever this year too. I also discovered that I'm allergic to holly.) This year I just want the stuff gone. It's tearing up the house. Last night my son showed me where it's grown under the siding, through his window screen, around his storm, and into his room through the weather stripping next to the window lock. How the heck do I get rid of this stuff? At this point I'm open to all suggestions, including herbicides, petro-chemicals, heck I'd almost try nuclear waste but I'm afraid that it'd like it. Thanks for your time. Enjay PS the trumpet vine was something inherited from the previous owner, he planted it the spring before we bought the house. Had I known then what it was I'd have torn it out immediately, but they promised me that it would produce big yellow flowers that attracted hummingbirds, and that it would just grow on the pillar right where it was planted. It did, as long as I took the machete to it a few times a week.

May 21, 2009	#2
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Azaleas are very hardy and tolerant of being moved and they seem to love to have the soil around them loosened up. I kept a dozen of them alive in two wheelbarrows for 3 months during our last move. They started blooming, and I let them finish and then transplanted. So, I wouldn't give up on the azalea if you really want to keep it. As for the trumpet vine, have you tried something like Roundup. I would probably do some careful spraying with the idea of getting to the roots without exposing a lot of other plants and soil. Something like newspapers or cardboard to catch any overspray and just coat the trumpet vine. Anyhow, I DO wish you luck on solving this one. Just be careful about what you use to get rid of the undesirable plants. Some products last a long time in the soil and that would mean a long wait for something new or different. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 21, 2009	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I've used Brush-B-Gone before and it works very well. Just don't be in a hurry. It takes a while, but it will definitely get to anything you spray it on. My lot is adjacent to a stand of hardwood trees and a lot of "BRUSH". The Ortho product keeps it back. Expect 1 to 3 weeks for results. I got impatient the first time, and sprayed again and again. It killed almost everything I put it on. Poison Ivy, "thorny" vines, and other vine things and scrub brush. Good luck on your venture. You might try that azalea in a container. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 22, 2009	#8
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I didn't know that you could keep an azalea in a container. This one is pretty small, probably about waist high, it might adapt to that. Need to be a big container though. Hmm... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- My azaleas didn't/don't have deep roots. Most of the roots tend to be very small/thin and shallow with only one or two larger ones. They tolerate cutting well when transplanting. I give mine a helping of miracid fertilizer about twice a year. The dogwoods love it, too. So you may not need a really deep container. I'd probably pick a nice display point and set something up there. Add some soil in there (yes, I said SOIL) to give the roots something to grab and hold down the plant in the wind. Interesting that you lived on the "Hooch" as (you know) we call it here. And I actively pursue anything that remotely resembles kudzu with my bio-mechanical weaponry. My home is in a gated community about three miles from Holiday Marina and the entrance to Lake Lanier Islands. Small world. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 22, 2009	#10
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	You really should be past the peak bloom time for azaleas in SC. So, if you're not concerned about blooms, go ahead and tranplant and trim back now. Put it in partial shade until you see an indication of new growth. Take care and let us know how it does. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 21, 2009	#5
Amigatec Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 208	You might a butter tub, cut a slot in the lid, and fill it with straight Roundup. Cut the vine and stick into the slot and down in the Roundup, let it get a good drink, that just might do it. I have used staight Roundup and a paint brush before just be careful with it. Also the Roundup you buy from Walmart is only 18% strength, do yourself a favor and go the feed store/coop and buy some good 41% stuff. It costs me about $90 for 2 1/2 gallon but the 41% stuff knocks the weeds down.

May 22, 2009	#11
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	Roundup works best when it is HOT outside (>80 degrees F). LEt it steam up & then go to it with the highest concentration you can get.

May 27, 2009	#12
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Our local groundskeeper was spraying the sidewalk edges and such, so I asked what he was using. He answered that it was called "Prosecutor" and was made by a company called "Lesco". I googled and found this link: http://www.chippersinc.com/documents...cutorLabel.pdf It says that there is no ground retention or residual action. It only kills what it contacts and anything that comes up after that is not affected. I have seen this work, and it REALLY works well. If you haven't started clearing yet, you might look into it. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 27, 2009	#13
aninocentangel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: 8a Coastal SC Posts: 251	Thanks so much Ted (aka tomatoman ) I haven't even started trying to clear out the bed, it's rained every day since I first posted about it. I see that there's a store that is supposed to carry the product line just up the street from my chiropractor, I'll stop in and see if they have it next week when I have my appointment. Hopefully the ground will have dried out some by then.