How to kill invasive vines without killing the trees?
Invasive vines wrap tightly around trunks, smothering trees and spreading everywhere while intertwining with valued plants. This prevents using broad sprays or simply tracing roots to pull them out, leaving property owners unable to clear the infestation without risking their surrounding landscaping.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 36.2× more often in r/Landscaping than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Cutting the vines near the bottom of the tree and letting them dry up before pulling them downDid this help you?
- 2Pulling up the bright orange roots by handDid this help you?
- 3Applying glyphosate with a brush or buckthorn blaster to fresh cut stumpsDid this help you?
- 4Revisiting the area once or twice a year to pull up or clip new growthDid this help you?
- 5Doing major general clean upDid this help you?
- 6Using mulchDid this help you?
- 7Considering removing plants, overhauling everything, spraying for weeds, and replantingDid this help you?
- 8Extending the garden beds and planting flowers in front of the shrubs instead of removing themDid this help you?
- 9Trimming and shaping the overgrown shrubs to fit better below window sillsDid this help you?
- 10Relocating the mature shrubs to another spot on the propertyDid this help you?
- 11Giving the mature shrubs away for free on local social media pagesDid this help you?
- 12Using herbicide such as triclopyrDid this help you?
- 13Constantly pulling the plants upDid this help you?
- 14Treating and retreating repeatedly over multiple yearsDid this help you?
- 15Trying to clear the land on the other side of the fenceDid this help you?
- 16Cutting it down with a macheteDid this help you?
- 17Spraying with herbicide, waiting a week, pulling or cutting it out, and spraying againDid this help you?
- 18continually mowing the weeds downDid this help you?
- 19smothering patches with cardboard or a dark tarpDid this help you?
- 20using a dandelion puller with a forked end to remove taproots manuallyDid this help you?
- 21Hand removing dead leaves and individual vines to thin it outDid this help you?
- 22Cutting the vines down near the main stalk to clear everything off the structure and letting it regrowDid this help you?
- 23Cutting the vines down to the ground after a freeze in winterDid this help you?
- 24Covering the area with a heavy tarp for an entire season to smother the plants.Did this help you?
- 25Pulling vines by hand, chopping the root systems with a mattock, and immediately bagging the debris.Did this help you?
- 26Applying chemical herbicides to new leaf sprouts after pulling the mature vines.Did this help you?
- 27Scalping the area with a weed eater and persistently spraying any regrowth.Did this help you?
- 28Aggressively pruning the whole canopyDid this help you?
- 29Getting rid of the canopy entirely and replacing it with a shade sailDid this help you?
- 30Cutting the whole thing back to almost nothing and starting overDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“over a few seasons of crazy growth there is now a large drybed of dead vines and leaves. Also there's definitely some large rodents or animals that have made it their home on top somewhere. How do I actually go about clearing/thinning this out the right way?”source ↗
“This English Ivy (or at least that’s what I believe it is) has been here since we moved in from the previous owners. I do appreciate its ground cover... However, I know English ivy is invasive and not great for our environment or our house so I’d like to remove it!”source ↗
“We have mature boxwoods around the front of our house. My wife is fixated on removing, at least, the ones in front of the middle section of the house and putting in flower beds.”source ↗
“What are these and what would be the best way to get rid of them.”source ↗
“there’s a vine that’s wreaking havoc on my friends landscaping.”source ↗
“can’t just spray the rest because the vines are also all over the regular landscaping they want to keep.”source ↗
“You can’t simply find a root for it and It’s EVERYWHERE.”source ↗
“Whats the best way to remove all of these vines the previous owners blessed me with?”source ↗
“The vines are everywhere and I don't want to hurt my trees.”source ↗
“Thank you. That's the plan. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.”source ↗
“They are at least 6ft thick and the previous owner definitely didnt do much maintenance”source ↗
“If you remove them, you’re gonna have to cut them close to the ground and dig behind them and cut the roots manually. If you just rip them out, there’s a good chance you’re going to take some chunks of house with them.”source ↗
“That ivy gonna be real stubborn, the roots go deep and you'll need to pull it by hand after cutting at the base.”source ↗
“I’ve spent so much time dealing with vines other people planted and let go wild.”source ↗
“I've had to aggressively prune the whole canopy, and doing so has made a lot of leaves die.”source ↗
“It's also hard to keep up with how often I need to do it to keep it off the roof.”source ↗
“I don't know how to clean up the dead leaves, so it's become a bit of an eyesore.”source ↗
“How do you clean it up without it looking ugly?”source ↗
“So I've got a mild infestation of Oxalis pes-caprae in my tall fescue turf and I'm not sure what to do about it... I'm worried about spraying it because my lemon tree's got roots all under the lawn so my plan is to just keep mowing it until it gives up, but I'd also kind of just like it to be gone.”source ↗
“I used that! Killed everything then came back later”source ↗
“Was wondering what's the best way to attack this, and keep it from regrowing?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to clear fence line weeds without destroying the trimmer
- 7How to safely remove an overgrown plant near the house
- 4How to get rid of English ivy without losing your mind
- 11How to clear poison ivy and deep roots without digging up the whole yard
- 10How to kill volunteer trees near a house without herbicides
- 11How to fix sunken ground from decaying tree roots without excavating