How to Kill a Vine Root System

Some vine species are invasive weeds that spread quickly and can choke out your existing plants. If you chop back the vines, the existing root system will sprout new foliage and continue to grow. To completely remove vining weeds from your yard, you must kill the root system. Using the proper chemical herbicides to kill the roots and then digging them up so they cannot regenerate will effectively remove the weeds.

5 gallon bucket
Glyphosate herbicide
Water
Shovel
Rototiller

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a five gallon bucket with 3 gallons of diluted glyphosate herbicide. Follow the directions on the package to find out how much water to use to dilute the herbicide.
- 2
  Pull the vines off the ground or the structure to which they have attached. If you are dealing with a poison ivy vine, wear protective gloves.
- 3
  Dunk the vines in the bucket while they are still attached to the root system. Leave the vines there for 15 minutes. They will soak up the herbicide and transmit it to the root system. This will effectively kill the roots.
- 4
  Remove the vines from the herbicide and leave them on the ground for the time period specified on the herbicide package. Once the vines are dead, pull them out of the ground and dispose of them.
- 5
  Use a shovel to dig up the dead roots of the vining plant. You can also use a rototiller to till the soil to a depth of 8 inches. This will cut the dead roots into small pieces and bury them in the soil, where they can decompose.

How to Care for Swamp Jasmine

How to Care for Allamanda Cathartica

Groundcovers & Vines