Greenbrier
BY SKEETER
I do not like Greenbrier here in my Georgia Gardens. And it is most difficult to eradicate. Just look at the nasty roots of this vine! This is the root to one vine that keeps going and going and going. Compare the size to the standard clay brick!
Greenbrier (Smilax bona-nox), AKA: Catbrier, Sawbrier (Click HERE for more) is a pretty vine but most pesky here in my gardens. The only way to rid yourself of this pain is to Pull/Dig the Tubers from the ground. Then if you leave one little sprig, you will soon have another vine!
The vine also bites back! This stuff thrives under heat and drought conditions, which our gardens seem to deal with yearly. I try to pull it as soon as I see the stuff popping up from the ground. The older it gets, the more difficult to pull with the thorns. Believe me, the little thorns bite as much as the larger ones you see in the picture above, even with gloves. Ouch! This is one evergreen vine that I despise even though, the wildlife enjoy it. Please, No GREENBRIER, In the Garden...
The vine also bites back! This stuff thrives under heat and drought conditions, which our gardens seem to deal with yearly. I try to pull it as soon as I see the stuff popping up from the ground. The older it gets, the more difficult to pull with the thorns. Believe me, the little thorns bite as much as the larger ones you see in the picture above, even with gloves. Ouch! This is one evergreen vine that I despise even though, the wildlife enjoy it. Please, No GREENBRIER, In the Garden...
I am up and at it early today! Trying to beat this darn heat by getting out before the sun has risen. I am working in an area that gets morning sun so off I go....
ReplyDeleteEveryone have a great day, stay cool and hydrated!
Ugh ~ I've got something like this in my gardens too, cat's claw I think it's called, plus Virginia creeper, and air potato vines. What a nuisance they are.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
I get that here too and it is most annoying. No wonder I can never get rid of it due to those tubers. I did not know that was what their roots look like. Yikes! Does the wildlife dig the tubers up and eat them?
ReplyDeleteGoodnes they do have some thorns and giant roots!!
ReplyDeleteCatbrier has no known pests. Smilax and Virginia creeper shimmy up trees in no time at all. I go one vine patrol more often than I pull weeds.
ReplyDeleteOuch, those thorns look really nasty.
ReplyDeleteI dislike this vine and there is another one similar too it that I dislike as well!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's literally a pain, but I've heard that new growth is good to eat mixed in a salad or lightly steamed. I haven't tried it yet myself, but I might the next time I have to rip it out of the ground. Eat the darn thing right outta the yard!
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with this vine, but yikes, what big roots! I've been pulling up some weed lately that also has big--and--deep roots. I wish some of my perennials would grow such sturdy roots:)
ReplyDeleteHello I use roots in my sculptures. I would be willing to buy some of the roots.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Cheri Bohn
Bohn.sculpture@gmail.com
Www.cheribohn.org