Yard cleanup question

[AlDente67 563]

Have been trying to control a long row of climbing vines that grow in between 2 fences...my 4' chainlink fence, and the neighbor's 6' plastic privacy fence (the type you can buy in sections at the big box stores).  I would guess the spacing between the two is around 6-8 inches.  The vine grows up from the roots and forms a stout wooden (ish) vertical stem and then branches horizontally along the top of the chain link.  All told, the run is about 110 feet along the rear section.

I have tried cutting the stems by sliding a pruning shear through the chainlink spaces, but the things are quite hardy and leap back to life within days.  The space between the fences is too narrow to access freely, and a string trimmer cannot handle the thick stems to clear it out (buying more time before it regenerates).  Any ideas of a tool that would be best to hold above the chainlink that reaches near ground level?  I avoid chemical treatments because some of the thickest growth is right along the back of the veg garden.  Roundup would probably kill it all off, as well as the grass, and even then, the ugly stems will always be there.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Can your string trimmer handle a brush cutting blade?  I have one for my Stihl trimmer - can get through stuff the string can't cut.  Pretty much up to like 1/2" thick.

[Handyman 5,682]

If you spray the Roundup now it will die and the Roundup will be long gone by veggie season. Whatever is left will eventually decay away. 

Or you could spray it with bleach.

[CMJeepster 2,778]

Glock 19.

[Handyman 5,682]

[JimB1 554]

Napalm?

-Jim

[Displaced Texan 11,739]

Napalm sticks to plants

[Shocker 150]

42 minutes ago, Handyman said:

If you spray the Roundup now it will die and the Roundup will be long gone by veggie season. Whatever is left will eventually decay away.

That’s my strategy, although someone (I think it was on this board) recommended you beat the vines with something - a rake, a trimmer, whatever - to damage the outer skin and the Roundup seems to work a lot better

 

Dont the spray chemicals stay in place well enough not to damage your garden? I Roundup in my gardens and I can tell you my wife would murder me if I hurt her flowers. Just have to let it dry before it rains

 

Edit: I have a pole saw, basically an 8” chainsaw on a stick, that would trim along the top between the fences but I’m not envisioning how you’d get It in there

[Sniper 6,372]

2 hours ago, AlDente67 said:

I would guess the spacing between the two is around 6-8 inches.  The vine grows up from the roots and forms a stout wooden (ish) vertical stem and then branches horizontally along the top of the chain link.  All told, the run is about 110 feet along the rear section.

I have tried cutting the stems by sliding a pruning shear through the chainlink spaces, but the things are quite hardy and leap back to life within days. 

Is it possible to get through the chain link with a long blade on a sawzall, and cut through the stem close to the ground?

Or, a long handle saw like this. I have one that I use for branch trimming, it should cut through that stem.

[ChrisJM981 924]

https://www.amazon.com/stores/ECO+GARDEN+PRO+PROFESSIONAL/page/3C286F0F-5091-4493-AB17-EA2B6A8A9930?ref_=ast_bln

I used the ECO garden pro spray. I think it's vinegar based. I used it on weeds and grass sprouting in my woodchips. 

[siderman 1,137]

Tear out chain link, yank offending vine out by roots, have nice clean yard. But that's just me.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Round up only works with direct contact at the leaf surface, dries very quickly, and biodegrades in a few weeks. Nothing will work better. Don't matter how low you cut them, they will grow back unless you get the roots. 

There is a number of other products you can use to kill them, but if you do it well before harvesting any produce roundup is fine to use. Most herbiceds a designed to break down within a month.. some even days 

[Handyman 5,682]

3 hours ago, Shocker said:

That’s my strategy, although someone (I think it was on this board) recommended you beat the vines with something - a rake, a trimmer, whatever - to damage the outer skin and the Roundup seems to work a lot better

That does help. There are also apparently some things Roundup just won't kill well. I have a hosta that I have poured every foul chemical known to science on and it is still going strong. Also, most killers tend not to work well on plants outside the active growth season. A lot of things are going dormant now for winter. 

[CMJeepster 2,778]

My favorite yard tool:  https://www.ortho.com/en-us/products/weeds/ortho-groundclear-weed-grass-killer-ready-use?ef_id=EAIaIQobChMI4uXZpqWK7QIVyJ6zCh28FQPSEAQYASABEgKJXfD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!4676!3!343156402980!!!g!682105098385!&ev_chn=shop&cmp=kid%2FOrtho%2FGoogle_SEM%2FShopping%2FG+|+Ortho+|+Nonbrand+|+Shopping+|+GroundClear%2F&kpid=go_cmp-1775670365_adg-68631586226_ad-343156402980_pla-682105098385_dev-c_ext-_prd-461326405_sig-EAIaIQobChMI4uXZpqWK7QIVyJ6zCh28FQPSEAQYASABEgKJXfD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4uXZpqWK7QIVyJ6zCh28FQPSEAQYASABEgKJXfD_BwE

[Sniper 6,372]

5 hours ago, ChrisJM981 said:

I used the ECO garden pro spray. I think it's vinegar based. I used it on weeds and grass sprouting in my woodchips. 

I tried a homemade vinegar mixture that wifey saw somewhere. It was white vinegar, Dawn and salt. She wanted me to try it in a area that the dog frequents. That mixture, on weeds and grass, worked quicker and better than Roundup.

[Scorpio64 5,153]

Roundup does not perform especially well on woody vegetation.  It will mess up some woody plants (Vines, saplings, brush)real bad, but usually not kill it off 100%.  Also, you are treating the plant, not the soil.  These chemicals get absorbed into the leaf and interrupt the plants ability to make proteins.  Yes, some roundup will get on the soil, but it will not "sterilize" it like Preen or salt will.

Anything you do now will have to be repeated one or two more times, at least once in the spring... or possibly  Christmas, it may be in the 80's, who the hell knows.  Herbicides work best in warm weather, and sometimes TOO well in hot weather.  It's going to be 50s/60s for a spell, herbicides will work, just slower and not necessary fully.

I would try a one two punch of Triclopyr and 2-4-D.  Spray the vines with a coarse pattern to minimize drift, and spray on a calm day with little or no wind.  Fine mist invites collateral damage.  It is not necessary to spray the ground, or even close to the ground.  Any residual herbicide will not have a long lasting effect on soil. 

Lastly, you can add dish soap to the mixture as a wetting agent.  The soap breaks the surface tension of water and allows the application to spread out more evenly. Without a wetting agent, the spray forms large droplets that just roll off the leaf. Suds also break down the oil and wax on plants like poison ivy or english ivy and promote absorption. 

I maintain a few properties with two fences and it is a summabitch to keep that sliver of no-man's-land clear, or looking good if "my" side is chain link or picket .  Cleaning leaves and other debris requires two or three people with powerful backpack blowers.  So, once you clear out the vines, you have that to look forward to.

 

[Sota 1,191]

30% vinegar, mixed 1:1 with super saturated salt water, and cheap dish soap (I like apple scented.)  2gal each of the big liquids, and about 8oz of dish soap. spray liberally. EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES, DIES WITHIN HOURS. Then try and get a good soaking down near the ground, before or after you rip up everything you can.