Wisteria’s legendary hardiness is excellent for gardeners who don’t have the greenest of thumbs, but if Wisteria is taking over your yard or you want a change from it, that resilience can present a challenge. So what should you do when you want to get rid of unwanted Wisteria? How can you exterminate this vigorous vine?
There are both chemical and natural options to get rid of Wisteria. To completely rid your yard, you have to kill the branches and root system of the plant. This can be done by spraying herbicide on the foliage or applying it to a cut stump to kill the roots, pulling out any shoots that come up until the roots give up, or digging up the root system.
In this article, we’ll teach you five different ways to get rid of Wisteria and help you choose which is best for you. We’ll cover the cut stump treatment, foliar treatment, treatment with household products, starving the Wisteria, and digging it up. Read on and soon you’ll be ready to get to work!
Is Wisteria Hard to Kill?
Wisteria is notoriously difficult to get rid of, if you live in the type of warm, moist, temperate climate where it thrives. Chinese and Japanese Wisteria varieties are invasive species in the eastern US – particularly the mid-Atlantic and southeast – and can take over natural areas as well as your yard, crowding out native plants and trees.
What makes Wisteria so tenacious – and tricky to eradicate – is that it spreads very quickly. Runners along the ground put down roots, widespread root systems send up new shoots, and seeds explode out in all directions when the pods pop in the autumn.
Don’t panic, though! There are tried and true ways to get rid of Wisteria. The key is to remove or kill the root system. Even if you get rid of all the Wisteria you can see, the root system can still be very much alive below ground, and it will put out new shoots that quickly grow into vigorous vines if you don’t put a stop to it.
How to Eradicate Wisteria from your Yard
To get rid of Wisteria once and for all, you need to remove or kill all of the foliage, roots, and seeds. The secret to successfully eliminating Wisteria is persistence and follow-up. No matter how careful you are in removing or killing the vine the first time around, some roots will inevitably be left alive, so you’ll have to follow up later by inspecting for new shoots and getting rid of those as well.
Check for new growth regularly during the following spring and summer, or you may find yourself with a vigorous new vine before you know it. The key is to be consistent.
If you’re planning to get rid of a Wisteria plant, you can get a step ahead by deadheading the flowers when they bloom. This will prevent the Wisteria from going to seed, so you won’t need to worry about new little seedlings coming up the following spring. If you already have seed pods on your Wisteria, pull them off and dispose of them before they pop and shoot their seeds out all over your property.
Chemical Options for Killing Wisteria
Herbicides are an effective tool in your arsenal for eliminating Wisteria. You can spray the foliage or pull it up and treat the stump to kill the roots. You can also try using household products as herbicides.
Cut Stump Treatment
If your Wisteria has one or more main trunks that are at least a half-inch in diameter, the cut stump treatment is one of the most reliable ways to get rid of it. This method involves cutting down the Wisteria, disposing of the branches, and then applying an herbicide to the stump to kill the roots.
Pros: Most recommended method
Cons: Herbicide could affect nearby plants; requires some manual labor
What you’ll need:
Best time to do it: Late spring, summer, or fall
Key to success: Apply the herbicide immediately after cutting through the trunk
Step 1 – Check the Weather
Choose a day with no rain in the forecast and temperatures below 85 degrees. Rain within six hours of applying herbicide will rinse it off, reducing its effectiveness, and high temperatures can cause the product to evaporate into a cloud of toxic gas – not fun.
Some experts prefer the cut stump treatment in the fall; others recommend late spring or summer. The advantage to doing the treatment during the growing season is that you will quickly see how effective it was. If you get a lot of new shoots coming up, you’ll need to get rid of them and repeat the treatment. When the sap is rising in early spring, the herbicide won’t soak into the roots, so wait until later in the season.
Step 2 – Remove Foliage
For this technique, we use elbow grease to get rid of the Wisteria above ground and herbicide to kill the root system and prevent the Wisteria from growing back. A good place to start is by cutting down and disposing of as much of the Wisteria foliage and stems as possible. Use your saw and pruners to remove all of the branches that would get in the way of cutting down the main trunk.
Step 3 – Prep the Herbicide
Next, get your herbicide ready to apply as soon as you’ve cut through the trunk. Once Wisteria is cut, it immediately starts sealing up the cut area, kind of like when you cut yourself, and your body’s cells work quickly to stop the bleeding. Herbicide can’t penetrate that seal to kill the stump and roots. Woody plants like Wisteria can seal off cut surfaces in seconds, so the faster, the better, but as long as you have the herbicide on within ten minutes of cutting, you should be alright.
Use a relatively strong solution of either glyphosate (e.g., Killzall or Roundup) or triclopyr. For glyphosate, use a solution of at least 20% and for triclopyr at least 8%. You don’t need more than 50% for either one. Some of the premixed sprays you can buy aren’t powerful enough to take on Wisteria, so be sure to check the label before you buy. Depending on the product’s strength, you may want to dilute it with some water.
To apply the herbicide, you need either a sprayer or a brush. While a sprayer designed for herbicide works great, a plastic spray bottle from the supermarket can work just as well and only costs a buck or two. Alternatively, use a foam applicator brush or a paintbrush.
You’ll also need some personal protective equipment. It’s important to protect yourself whenever you use a chemical herbicide, even an organic one. Read the instructions and warnings on the package, and wear rubber gloves (leather and gardening gloves are porous) and eye protection. Also, be sure to dispose appropriately of leftover herbicide and whatever you use to apply it.
Step 4 – Cut the Trunk Down to a Stump and Apply the Product
Once you’re ready with your herbicide, it’s time to cut down the main trunk(s) of the Wisteria and treat the stump. If you had already cut down your Wisteria, cut the top off of the stump so that you have a fresh cut surface to apply the herbicide.
Spray or brush the herbicide over the entire cut surface of the stump. Focus on the edges, just inside the bark, since this is where it will best soak in toward the roots. It doesn’t take much product. Repeat the process with any other large Wisteria stems growing up from the ground. The cut stump method doesn’t work well on stems smaller than ½ inch in diameter.
Step 5 – Follow Up
You may need to cut the stump down and apply the product again in a few weeks or the following year if you get lots of shoots or suckers. This method is effective, but Wisteria is hardy, and it can take more than one try to kill it off. Keep an eye on the area over the next year or two and remove any shoots by pulling them up or spraying them with a foliar herbicide.
Foliage Treatment
Spraying the leaves of the Wisteria with herbicide works well when it is spreading as ground cover, or you have a large infestation of the vine. You probably don’t want to use this method on Wisteria that’s climbing your trees or growing next to plants you love.
Pros: Requires less physical labor
Cons: Uses a lot of herbicide which could harm other plants
What you’ll need:
- Foliar herbicide
- Sprayer
- Rubber gloves and eye protection
Best time to do it: Late spring or summer
Key to success: Spray new shoots as they pop up
Step 1 – Prep
Plan to spray the Wisteria during the growing season. If the plant is actively growing, more of the herbicide will be sucked down into the Wisteria and to the roots, killing the whole plant.
The best foliar herbicide for Wisteria is 2% glyphosate or triclopyr with 0.5% of a nonionic surfactant. You’ll need a sprayer to apply it and some protective gear to keep the product from getting on your hands or in your eyes. Always read the warning labels on herbicides and follow the directions for use, storage, and disposal.
Step 2 – Spray
Apply enough herbicide to thoroughly wet the leaves of the Wisteria. Be careful not to splash or spray the product on other plants.
Step 3 – Follow Up
It usually takes more than one treatment to eradicate Wisteria. Respray any foliage that survives the first application. Even more importantly, keep an eye open for new shoots and spray them as soon as they appear. Check for new shoots every week or so until they stop coming up.
Substituting Household Products for Commercial Herbicide
I definitely feel more comfortable using familiar household items in the yard and garden than using commercial poisons. There are other options if you’re like me and feel that ick factor with Roundup and its cousins.
However, household products should also be used with caution. While bleach, Epsom salt, and regular salt can all help you eradicate Wisteria, they can also really damage your soil, making it hard for other plants to grow in that area.
Pros: You probably already have everything you need
Cons: It can really harm your soil if used in large quantities
What you’ll need:
- A saw, loppers, and/or pruners
- For the bleach method, a knife or a vegetable peeler and a brush to apply the bleach with
- For the salt method, salt or Epsom salt, a drill, and something to cover the stump with
Best time to do it: Late spring or summer
Key to success: Be very targeted in using these so that they don’t contaminate other areas of the yard or garden.
Bleach
Household or commercial strength bleach can help you take on an overgrown Wisteria. It’s applied to the stems, but first, you need to strip the bark. A vegetable peeler works great for stripping small shoots, and a hefty knife or even a hatchet works well for large trunks.
Apply the bleach to the stripped stems as you go – don’t remove the bark from the whole plant first, and then go back and bleach. You don’t want to give the Wisteria time to seal off the cut areas since that would prevent the bleach from being absorbed deeper into the plant. You can also use bleach instead of commercial herbicide for the cut stump treatment.
Salts
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is helpful in the garden. While small amounts act as a fertilizer, large quantities will kill plants – which is exactly what we want.
Regular salt (sodium chloride) can also be used to eradicate unwanted plants. You can use it in any form – table salt, rock salt, ice cream salt – all of these will work.
I recommend Epsom salt over regular salt because it’s a little gentler on the soil, but both can prevent plants from growing, so use them sparingly. If you have Wisteria covering a large area, I don’t recommend using salts unless you don’t want to grow anything else there for a while.
The way to use salts to kill Wisteria is with the Cut Stump method. You’ll need to drill holes into the stump and then fill the holes with salt or Epsom salt. Spread some over the top of the stump as well. Next, pour hot water over the stump to dissolve the salt. Then cover the stump with something waterproof, such as a tarp, to keep the salt from rinsing away by rain.
Repeat the process every week for a few weeks until the stump appears dried out and dead. You can then dig it up if you choose – it’ll be much easier now that it’s dead – or just leave it to decompose. Then water the area a lot to flush as much salt as possible out of the soil.
Follow Up
Just as with other techniques, it’s important to monitor for new shoots after applying a household product to kill Wisteria. You probably won’t get all of it all the first time around, so be prepared to pull up or spray new volunteers as they pop up.
Natural Options for Killing Wisteria
If you don’t want to use synthetic chemicals in your yard – I totally get it – there are all-natural ways to get rid of Wisteria. These techniques require a bit more sweat equity since it’s you instead of a chemical doing all the work, but they are effective.
Starve it Out
This method involves simply cutting back and pulling up the Wisteria regularly until it eventually dies. You’ll need to eliminate all of the vines above ground and then kill the roots by starving them of energy from the sun.
Pros: No need to buy any products; no risk to other plants
Cons: Time consuming
What you’ll need:
Best time to do it: Anytime
Key to success: Be diligent about removing new shoots as soon as they pop up
Step 1 – Remove Stems and Leaves
Just as in the cut stump method, start by physically removing all of the Wisteria foliage and stems, leaving only the roots.
Step 2 – Regularly Check for New Shoots and Remove Them
Wisteria’s roots have a lot of stored energy that they can use to put out new shoots. However, if they don’t get any new energy from the sun, eventually, they will run out and die. To keep the Wisteria from getting new energy, you need to remove new shoots as soon as they come up so that the leaves can’t supply the plant with energy from the sun.
Walk the area where your Wisteria was growing at least once a week, checking for new shoots and pulling them up when you find them. They tend to have long taproots, so you may want to take a spade with you to help get them up.
It’s essential to be consistent. If you stop pruning for a while and allow foliage to grow, it will replenish the Wisteria’s energy, and you’ll have to start over. Expect it to take a couple of years to kill off the roots. (Of course, in the winter, there won’t be any new growth – you only need to monitor during the growing season.)
Dig it Up
Physically remove as much of the Wisteria as possible. This is similar to the “starve it out” method but a lot faster because you’ll be digging up as much of the root system as possible at the start.
Pros: Quicker; all natural
Cons: Hard work; impractical if you have a large infestation
What you’ll need:
Best time to do it: Anytime the ground is not frozen
Key to success: Get as much of the root system out of the ground as possible
Step 1 – Remove Stems and Leaves
This is a very straightforward way to get rid of Wisteria – you’re simply physically removing it from your property, both above and below ground. Start by cutting down all the foliage and sawing through the main trunk, leaving a foot or so to grip it by.
Step 2 – Dig Out the Root Ball
Dig a trench in a circle around the trunk, a couple of feet out from the trunk in each direction, exposing the roots. Use your spade, shears, or a saw to cut through the roots. Work your shovel under the root ball and use the handle as a lever to pry the roots up from the soil. You may have to do this several times on different sides of the root ball. Cut through any large roots you find that are holding the root ball in place.
Once it is loose enough, pull up the root ball, shake off excess soil, and dispose of it. Pull out as many sections of roots as you can and dispose of them, since otherwise, they will put out new shoots. You may want to follow some of the roots to dig out longer sections of them.
Step 3 – Monitor for New Growth
Since you can’t possibly remove all of the Wisteria roots in the soil, you’ll still have to monitor for new shoots and pull them up until the remaining roots run out of energy. However, this is a more manageable process when you’ve already removed a lot of the roots.
If you’re turning the spot where the Wisteria was into a lawn, mowing the grass can be enough to control new shoots, especially if you mow pretty often and cut the grass short. Just keep an eye out for any shoots escaping the mowed area or if the amount of Wisteria shoots in the lawn seems to be increasing.
How to Get Wisteria Out of Trees
Wisteria loves to spread, and if it is growing up your trees, you’ll need to take an extra step to kill the parts that are too high to reach.
Don’t try to pull the vines out of the tree. That would be a lot of work on a ladder, and you could damage the tree, so luckily, it’s not necessary. You just need to cut off the Wisteria from the ground, and the upper part will die.
Cut through the trunk(s) near the ground and then make another cut at about shoulder height – in other words, remove the section of the vine that is connecting the Wisteria up in the tree to the ground. Make sure there aren’t runners coming down from the tree to the ground, or they could root and continue to grow.
Once you’ve cut off the Wisteria in the tree from the ground, you can use any of the other methods above – treat the stump, dig up the roots, or just pull up the new shoots whenever they appear until the roots are dead.
Disposing of Cut Wisteria
When you’re removing Wisteria from your yard, you’ll probably have a lot of stems, roots, seed pods, etc., to get rid of. It’s possible for these to root back into the ground, so you need to dispose of them carefully, especially if Wisteria is invasive where you live.
If you have access to hot compost, either in a home bin or via a public composting service, you can toss your Wisteria waste there. Cold composting Wisteria will just give you shoots sprouting from the compost pile or wherever you spread your finished compost.
If you have a fire pit or a wood stove, you can burn Wisteria branches to dispose of them. Or you can bag the Wisteria up for the landfill or yard waste pickup.
Final Thoughts
Wisteria can be a nuisance to get rid of, but you can do it with these tried and true methods. And if all of this seems like a huge pain, or if you have a really serious infestation like a whole yard covered in Wisteria, you can have professionals come and do it for you.
Thinking about planting Wisteria but worried about it taking over? If you live in the US, consider planting a native Wisteria variety (Wisteria frutescens or Wisteria macrostachya) instead of Chinese or Japanese Wisteria. American Wisterias are less aggressive and don’t damage natural areas (in the US or Canada) the way Asian Wisterias do if they spread out of your yard.
You can also take steps to keep your Wisteria under control as it grows. Annual pruning, removing runners, and deadheading or removing seed pods before they burst can all help keep Wisteria from getting out of control and make your life easier if you ever decide to get rid of it.