I have river front property in Upstate New York, and I have finally given up the fight with fending off Wild Grape! I read that some insect can be released that will only eat and kill the Wild Grape but now I can't find it. I went to the Cornell University website but can't locate it. Does anyone out there know where I can find this info? Pulling it out only seems to make it stronger the next year. It's too far gone at this point. That and the Mile-a-minute, (Persicaria perfoliata) that's even worse since it's so hard to pull out!
2
-
Mile a minute is fairly easy to control with regular attention. It is an annual vine that is actually very loosely rooted and comes out with little effort - at least in our area on the east end of Long Island, NY. The thorns are a pain, but can actually improve your grip if you wear leather gloves. The trick is to get them out before they form or drop their seeds. If done vigilantly for two summers, the effort required in subsequent years will be dramatically reduced.– That IdiotAug 29, 2016 at 12:28
-
Bunker-busters/mini-nukes. That's about it, I think.– PoloHoleSetAug 30, 2016 at 19:26
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
I don't think the thing you think you read exists, which is why you cannot find it. Or perhaps (reading the link Sue added) you've confused it with the "mile-a-minute weevil" which is a host-specific insect for your other vegetative vine problem, which is an introduced invasive species.
Even if there was some very grape-specific pest, one that selected only for wild and not cultivated grape is hard to imagine, and all the literature on wild grape control (there's quite a bit, from forestry programs) does not mention any such thing being available.
Cut early, cut often, and spraying herbicides on the cut stump early in spring or late in fall seem to be the available methods, other than developing enough shade (mature tree canopy) that they can't grow.
Personally, I always cut the base of the vine a couple of times so that there's little chance of the top part reaching soil to re-root.
