I am looking to identify and find out if there is a spray to use to kill it without damaging the shrubs (Indian Hawthorn) where it is growing. It has choked out and killed a few of the shrubs already. I am looking to do damage control
When I pull it up – which takes effort – the root has a bulb similar to a small potato.
We are in Myrtle Beach, SC
Pic 1 = leaf
Pic 2 = the vine with leaf
pic 3 = the root ball/bulb
Thank you
Hi Melissa,
you have a nasty native vine there, greenbrier, most likely Smilax bona-nox or a close relative. It is hard to get rid of, as you have found, and most herbicides that will kill it will also kill other plants with it.
Try this site for more information on how to get rid of it: http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2010/07/killing_vines_thorny_smilax_ca.html
Sincerely,
Steve Hill, Botanist, SCNPS