Weeds: Pulling vs. Spraying. Opinions please

I checked Cindy's link. Even though I thought I had dug the heart root that the clip shows, I suspect there can be more than one of them. How else can the vines grow back so effectively?

Luckily my biggest PI vine (approx 4" plus in diameter) was growing up an old growth oak in the very back corner of my property, a place I seldom frequent. We did not go the root removal route at the time but DH cut out a big chunk of the main stem and then sprayed the cut ends with Ortho PI Killer. It never grew back which was good but as the rest of the plant up in the tree decays over time, pieces will fall out of the tree so I mainly steer clear of that area. Fortunately, the hairy stems keep it pretty firmly attached to the tree. Because of the proximity of my PI forest outside of my yard, I always have to keep any eye out for PI seedlings. Birds eat the seeds late fall into the winter and leave presents in my yard.

I'm going to try Cindy's method this time for the root. But, pulling wasn't the worst thing to do for the vine itself. I waited for it to dry up a bit after severing the stem. A few weeks later, I yanked and yanked. It had grown over 30" up into my pin oak tree. Of course it was like having a long thick rope fall on you, but I was prepared with a very wide secure hat, shop goggles, and coverage from head to toe. Like any rope, it fell in loops, so it wasn't that hard to guide it once it started falling.

Rosemary - you are braver than I would be! Even DH (who's not sensitive to PI) would not have done that. I hate having to use the Ortho but nothing else will kill that stuff and I'm sensitive to it. I do try to be very selective in pulling the stuff.

Virginia Creeper is another pest....not poisonous, but everywhere....I keep yanking it out, but it seems lusher than ever......

We're battling Porcelain Berry Vine since we came back, and it's EVERYWHERE. We used to be able to keep on top of it by pulling it out every spring but this year, blerg.

Haven't heard of that one.....do have a thorny vine, climbing in the back of the house.....plus I'm trying to get rid of wisteria for the past 20 years!

I loved my porcelain berry but the problem was that the Japanese beetles loved it too. I cut it down last spring to see if that would reduce the number of JBs coming into my garden and, sadly, it did. The main stem is pretty much gone but it does send up suckers. I'll keep cutting them off to see if I can exhaust the plant. Major hassle if I have to dig it up.

Yes! PB Vine is a bear. We never planted it and have dug, pulled, cut, poisoned and swore at it. Maybe it's staring to retreat, but we have to wait until next year. It's another one that can totally grow back from a scrap of root material.

When cutting down unwanted vines, you could try painting the cut, using a paintbrush, with some brush killer.

I'm going to try that.

Do a thorough job and then mulch 3" deep, your weeding problem will be minimal in 2 years. Trust me! I pull all of mine except in some rocks where it is difficult to.
BEST TOOL EVER FOR WEEDING: The claw! Could not do without it to get at the roots and make it so much easier

I had a long claw.....my son just brought it home to his garden! I have a hand claw that I use...of course that means I'm on the ground using it, but it does the job.

Yep - mulching is key to preventing new weeds from taking hold. Any open soil surface will be home to any seeds that come along.

Or the seeds that are dormant in the soil will be activated by light and come out to grow.

True. And tilling brings up even more seeds. My leaf mulch is on pretty much year round except when some of it is removed for spring cleanup.

I have been putting down three inches of deep pine bark mulch after spending a lot of time digging white spidery roots and covering with cardboard or plant cloth. A year later,after our nice rain, the nasty milkweed vine has suddenly sprouted just about everywhere! This weekend I go buy the organic product, probably Avenger. I am beaten.

Never got into the garden yesterday....too much running around! Will try again today, but I do have to babysit up at the farm later today.....

I've never dealt with milkweed vine. My property is mostly shaded, not located near open fields, etc. I get cottonwood seedlings, PI, sprouting acorns and maples, chickweed and creeping Charley. As for the Avenger, I had to order it online a couple of years ago as it was relatively new. I got it through Amazon. I haven't done the cardboard thing here as I haven't created new beds for quite a while and my existing beds are crammed full. I have gotten into the chop and drop mode for soil improvement and then a layer of shredded leaves on top.
After 3 days of gardening chores, I had to clean yesterday for visitors this weekend. So, no playing outside yesterday except to test my new watering can. I finally got a Haws and had to check it out. I've used cheap plastic cans from the big box stores for years and never really liked the water stream but resisted the expense. Now I know why it's worth the money. Heaven for seedlings and small, delicate plants.

Good investment then! I spent an hour chopping out wisteria that was choking my roses & clems......have been trying to get rid of it for 30 years! Tried digging it out & Brush-Be-Gone....nothing works....

The Porcelain-Berry Vine is not as gone as I thought, but it is a lot more gone than it was in previous years! I think (not a surprise) that responding quickly to little new growths will prevent them from becoming BIG new growths.

I have problems with bittersweet....and the poison ivy is getting to me......I listen to a plant program on the radio, usually the guys are very much in favor of natural sprays....But, for PI, they said to bring the 'big guns' in......

PI does create quite the dilemma for some of us. Trying to use fewer chemicals in the environment is easy until you're head to head with PI. Short of having a PI-pulling party, we do have to resort to using the chemicals. The main thing is to use them wisely and sparingly.

Hmm. Sorry if I posted somewhere else. i did buy the bonide PI killer and the bonide organic weed spray recommended by my local nursery, the one that was listed as an Avenger distributer (they discontinued it). the horticultrualist there also said to cut the tops off the milkweed vine and then dab the stuff on the cuts. they said it would take several applications for regular weed killer to work on PI. I am skeptical of the claim that it won't hurt my pet, so will cut the vine very high and apply it on the cut also, and spray "dog repellant" in the area as a precaution..

Good idea, Rosemary....Cliffie is too precious to take chances with.....

Rosemary - did you say that Avenger was discontinued? Can't find anything online about that.

I didn't find anything like taht online. Just that the local distributor where I am stopped carrying it. I didn't keep looking because I don't know why one brand is any better than another.

I think I'll practice the PI killer outside the dog yard first to see what is the minimal amount of material needed. Yes, Cliffie is a love and he remains my most loyal gardening buddy. I find it heart melting to see him grin and wag his tail when I say lets go outside to garden. Then he becomes my bodyguard while I dig and plant.

Nicki is too quirky....she won't let me weed or use a shovel.....no gardening for her!

That's funny. But she is still a young one, so probably wanting all the attention.

Cut down all the old iris stalks yesterday....I still have a few blooming, but today's heat might be it.....