Dealing with porcelain berry vine - Ask Extension
We recently purchased a house on 5 acres of almost completely forested property (mostly mature hardwoods). As the weather warmed, we noticed that we h...
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Dealing with porcelain berry vine #787628
Asked April 22, 2022, 12:18 PM EDT
We recently purchased a house on 5 acres of almost completely forested property (mostly mature hardwoods). As the weather warmed, we noticed that we have a massive problem with the invasive porcelain berry vine- it is completely carpeting the forest floor in a thick layer and even growing up some trees. It seems apparent that previous owners did absolutely nothing to mitigate the spread, and we are wondering what are the best steps we can take now with this level of infestation. We are on well water and have lots of lovely wildlife so we wish to avoid using harsh chemicals.
Henrico County Virginia
Expert Response
Prism info?
On Apr 22, 2022, at 12:18 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Hi Ed,
Question #0057559 has been assigned to you by SYSTEM (Auto Assignment)
Dealing with porcelain berry vine
We recently purchased a house on 5 acres of almost completely forested property (mostly mature hardwoods). As the weather warmed, we noticed that we have a massive problem with the invasive porcelain berry vine- it is completely carpeting the forest floor in a thick layer and even growing up some trees. It seems apparent that previous owners did absolutely nothing to mitigate the spread, and we are wondering what are the best steps we can take now with this level of infestation. We are on well water and have lots of lovely wildlife so we wish to avoid using harsh chemicals.From: Eva Lancaster
Submitted: 04/22/2022 12:18 PM
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Good morning.
Porcelain Berry is a hard to control invasive vine. It may take several years to get it under control.
The Blue Ridge PRISM project has a great fact sheet on control of this invasive plant: https://blueridgeprism.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Porcelain-berry-Factsheet-2021-9-9-v1-FINAL.pdf .
The chemical recommendation that the VA Dept of Forestry recommends for this vine can be found here: https://brprismlive.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2018_Nonnative-Invasive-Plant-Species-Control-Treatments_pub.pdf , but triclopyr is implicated in water quality concerns, so I would recommend not to use this chemical. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that you could use. It is a positively charged chemical, so it binds with the soil and as such is not implicated in water quality, unless the soil washes away. Do not apply if there is standing water in the area. You may want to use the Blue Ridge PRISM recommendations for a basal application rather than a general spray application. This will limit the amount of herbicide used and since it will not come in contact with the soil, should not be a concern for your well.
The key to chemical control is to use a systemic herbicide so that the chemical is taken in by the plant, and not using just a contact herbicide which will kill just the foliage of the plant where it comes in contact with it.
Porcelain Berry is a hard to control invasive vine. It may take several years to get it under control.
The Blue Ridge PRISM project has a great fact sheet on control of this invasive plant: https://blueridgeprism.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Porcelain-berry-Factsheet-2021-9-9-v1-FINAL.pdf .
The chemical recommendation that the VA Dept of Forestry recommends for this vine can be found here: https://brprismlive.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2018_Nonnative-Invasive-Plant-Species-Control-Treatments_pub.pdf , but triclopyr is implicated in water quality concerns, so I would recommend not to use this chemical. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that you could use. It is a positively charged chemical, so it binds with the soil and as such is not implicated in water quality, unless the soil washes away. Do not apply if there is standing water in the area. You may want to use the Blue Ridge PRISM recommendations for a basal application rather than a general spray application. This will limit the amount of herbicide used and since it will not come in contact with the soil, should not be a concern for your well.
The key to chemical control is to use a systemic herbicide so that the chemical is taken in by the plant, and not using just a contact herbicide which will kill just the foliage of the plant where it comes in contact with it.
