Foliar Herbicide w/ Vines

[Treeflea24]

I have a lot of vines (grape, poison ivy, Virginia creeper) that are climbing the trees that I manage. I'd like to remove many of them, for TSI, nuisance, and aesthetic reasons. Ive cut them in the past and treated the cut stem. Some apparently I didnt treat, or at least not effectively, and many are coming back.

Many of the vines are short (waist or chest high), and im considering spraying them with glyphosate, mixed at the recommended rate for foliar application (2-3%). The overspray is going to be landing on the trunks and bases of these trees that I dont want to damage, and also on the ground around the trees.

Is it safe to say that the herbicide wont damage the tree as long as it doesnt reach the leaf surfaces?

[Walnut Beast]

I’m not a Forester but that’s what I would use. Arsenal or Remedy in a little spray bottle or cut them and spray or brush

[John Mc]

What concentration did you use when treating cut stems?

[Walnut Beast]

 
Switched over to sprayer setup in the General instead of trailer and it’s way nicer. When I’m spraying in tall stuff I screw a 12’ 2x 4 under that 4x4 on the back and  that lays the tall stuff over when your spraying. Had really good luck with Fimco sprayers for the money. Good company. If you run a boom you need the gold series pump that’s 4.5 gallons a minute. I could run a bigger tank but this size works fine. Was going to get a 4 k gas powered Enduraplus sprayer unit but these are tuff little units for the money.
 Arsenal is 6 + ounces per 2 1/2 gallons with splash of surfactant.
Remedy is 34 ounces per 25 gallons with 10 ounces of surfactant.
Arsenal is safe to spray around the water by ponds or waterways.

[Treeflea24]

What concentration did you use when treating cut stems?

20 or 25% glyphosate, mainly on the grape vines. The creeper and poison ivy vines are so small and tight to the tree that its a PITA to cut and treat. thats why I'm wondering about just spraying the leaves. I was just hoping to get confirmation that the overspray on the host tree's trunk wouldn't damage it.

[beenthere]

I would continue to cut the stems and treat that cut stem. Maybe a test tree or two where you spray the leaves, but seems fruitless to me to do that as well as risky to spray the bark of a tree you want to keep.
That concentration of glyphosate seems very strong to me. 

On another note, over the 50+ years I have been on this place, I have found that the Virginia creeper overtakes the poison ivy that I used to have. The VC vines on my trees, I just cut the stem and don't treat. Patches of poison ivy that I used to have, I sprayed with 2,4-D (sometimes several applications). These patches of PI are no longer around, but the VC is thick where they were.

[btulloh]

Don’t know about foliar spray and tree trunk being affected. Seems iffy.

Sometimes a thicker / more concentrated solution will not get taken up by the cut ends. Needs to the right concentration but also thin enough that it will get taken in by capillary action.

Something with triclopyr is more effective for poison ivy or any woody vines. 

Cut ends of real small vines can be inserted into an open container easier than trying to paint the end. That’s not to difficult for a few vines, but if there are many to treat it can be time consuming either way.

[John Mc]

That concentration of glyphosate seems very strong to me.

That concentration is normal for cut stump treatment of woody vegetation.

[customsawyer]

Be careful applying Aresenal around trees you want to keep. It is soil active and can damage some of the stand you are trying to improve. Be sure to read the label. Also see if it is 2 pound or 4 pound Aresenal. This will also dictate how much to use. Around in this area most site prep is done with 48 oz of Chopper per acre (2 pound) active ingredient, with some extra kick to it. Over story spray on established pine plantation will be done with 4-16 oz of Aresenal per acre (4 pound) depending on age and type of pines. If you exceed this amount of active ingredient in a over story or under story application you are asking for damage. If you are working under hardwoods I would stay away from Aresenal.

[beenthere]

That concentration of glyphosate seems very strong to me.

That concentration is normal for cut stump treatment of woody vegetation.

But not so normal when treating the leaves, which sounded like the question posed. Seems on the heavy side for the overspray landing on the bark. 

[Treeflea24]

That concentration of glyphosate seems very strong to me.

That concentration is normal for cut stump treatment of woody vegetation.

But not so normal when treating the leaves, which sounded like the question posed. Seems on the heavy side for the overspray landing on the bark.

To be clear on this:
I used 20-25% glyph when treating cut vine stems in the past. If I were to do foliar spray on the remaining/revived vines (and over spray on the host) it would be 2-3%. 
The idea of VC overtaking the PI is interesting and something I hadn't considered. The creeper is the lesser of all of my vine concerns... 

[John Mc]

That concentration of glyphosate seems very strong to me.

That concentration is normal for cut stump treatment of woody vegetation.

But not so normal when treating the leaves, which sounded like the question posed. Seems on the heavy side for the overspray landing on the bark.

The question I had asked him was "What concentration did you use when treating cut stems?"

I asked because he mentioned that that method had not been very successful. Some people mistakenly use a foliar spray type concentration when doing cut stump, then wonder why it did not work. However, it sounds as though he already has that part worked out.

[RPF2509]

Glyphosate will not damage tree stems unless they are green with very thin bark.  Sawyer is right about being careful with Arsenal (imazapyr) as it will be absorbed by the roots.  Generally a 2 - 5% solution of glyphosate is used for a foliar treatment and 25- 100% is used for cut stump.  Treating the foliage can be more effective particularly if the stumps are small as the leaves offer more surface area to absorb the chemical.  Fall can be an iffy time to treat foliar on deciduous plants as the leaves are starting to form calluses that will block transport of the herbicide to the roots.  Don't be surprised if you get resprouting as vines can be tenacious- hit em again in late spring when they are fully leafed out.  Adding a crop oil can really help later in the season when the cuticle is fully formed, resisting penetration by the herbicide.

[BrandonTN]

Basal bark applications need to be oil based, not water based like foliar spray (and cut stump) mixes. So, if youre using water based glypho mix i wouldnt worry about the overspray onto thick tree bark. The basal oil mix usually has a penetrant chemical added to allow herbicide to soak through thicker bark. As said above by the RPF, watch overspray onto thin bark tho....and avoid Arsenal (imazapyr). Spraying imazapyr is risky for killing the desireables, since it's soil active. I only use imazapyr for hack n squirt method on trees up to 12"....and with half the hacks/squirts as it takes with triclopyr. Dorsnt take much imazapyr. It kills maple better than triclopyr, and supposedly is safer for humans than triclopyr.