This Invasive Vine Threatens New Hampshire’s Trees And Plants

There is a nasty, invasive vine, Oriental Bittersweet, that is killing New Hampshire trees and if you don't do anything about it, it will just never stop growing.  Eventually, it will suffocate anything that it attaches itself to.

I was out in my yard, doing some Winter cleanup, when I noticed a vine that has been around for a couple seasons now.  It was wrapping itself around the trees in my yard and it damn near killed a beautiful Rhododendron bush that I just love.  So, it was ON between me and these vines.

According to extension.unh.edu, this is how they describe this nasty thing:

Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a deciduous, woody, perennial vine native to China, Japan and Korea, that was brought to this country in the mid-1800s as an ornamental plant. Bittersweet is now considered a serious invasive species because is poses a significant threat to native plants.

This vine is most often found in grasslands, marshy areas and along roadsides.

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Bittersweet will climb on not just trees, but anything that is in its path; bushes, tree stumps, wherever it can get sunlight and water.  The host will eventually be taken over by this vine and it will die.  I've seen it with my own eyes.

How to Get Rid of This Invasive Vine That is Killing NH Trees

There are a few ways to get rid of this nasty vine:

1) You can hand pull them if there isn't many of them.  This way is especially effective before the vines sprout their signature green/yellow flowers.

PRO TIP  👉  I have found that pulling these bad boys out by their roots in the early Spring, right after the snow leaves us, during mud season, is MUCH easier than pulling them out in the middle of Summer.  

2)  After you pull them out, do NOT throw them in another part of your lawn.  They will find a place to root again and regrow once again.  It is better to either bake them in the sun on your paved driveway or bag 'em up and throw them away.  Yup.  They are that much of a pain in the butt.

3)  If the vines are everywhere and they are thick, cut the stems and douse them with herbicide.  You need to keep up with them in early Summer through the Winter.

If you have these vines, let me know how you control them.  Nasty-wasty stuff.