How to Cut a Vining Plant

Desirable Vines

• 1

  Cut desirable vines such as mandevilla, wisteria, clematis and honeysuckle at any time of year to limit their spread to areas where you don’t want them. Snip off the trailing ends of the vines with your clippers, cutting about 1/2 inch on the outer edge of a node. Make your cut at a 90-degree angle to the stem.

• 2

  Prune grape vines and other fruit such as passionfruit in winter, after they have finished their fruit production for the year and when they are dormant. Also, severely prune ornamentals such as mandevilla in winter, especially in climate zones where frost or snow occurs. Grapes have special pruning needs (see Resources), but others such as passionfruit and mandevilla can benefit from pruning close to the soil level.

• 3

  Cut all dead, broken and diseased branches back to the main stalk or trunk. Cut cleanly at a 90-degree angle to the trunk and do not leave a stub.

• 4

  Head back long shoots with little foliage by cutting off up to one-third or one-half of their length. Cut cleanly at a 90-degree angle to the branch to encourage lateral growth.

Undesirable Vines

• 5

  Destroy the root system of vines such as kudzu. Cut the vine at ground level and destroy all foliage by burning it or placing it in tightly sealed black plastic bags.

• 6

  Mow the area as close to the ground as possible after you cut the vine back. Repeat mowing once a month for up to two years.

• 7

  Apply a systemic herbicide such as glyphosate to the base of the kudzu vine soon after you cut it to the ground if you wish.