# Help neighbors morning glories growing like crazy in my yard



## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

We have a tiny patio backyard. Our new neighbors have trellises with morning glories, which are quite pretty...but they shoot stems over the fence and under the fence that are taking over our yard and smothering our plants.

I went out there to cut them down several times, and they grow right back and more come. I read if you cut them, they do grow more.

I am also all itchy from cutting them. Any experience with this. I have read it takes years to get rid of them and that the seeds are toxic to pets...and pretty awful for humans.

I don't think the dogs will eat any seeds but I need to get rid of this awful pest. They also have a big dog and we have fleas for the first time in the 12 years we have lived in this house. Ah life in paradise sometimes has its challenges.


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

I'm afraid I'm no help. I love morning glories! They don't grow well here though. I've tried. Maybe you can get them to switch to Sweet Peas and/or Nasturtiums?


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

You could try spraying them instead of cutting them back, spray all along the fence line. Or if you tell them they're toxic to dogs maybe they'll get rid of them since they too have a dog.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Maybe it's bad but I would spray them. They should die back on your side...and most likely their side too. Do it in the dark of night so they don't catch you! :evil:


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*multiply!*

I read if you cut them, the grow even more sprouts...a stem can start a new plant with just a little dirt! They are sort of like fleas, they multiply like crazy! I cannot believe how thick the cords are as they wrap themselves around all my stakes and plants like boa constrictors!

Too bad you couldn't use them as rope!


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

I did a quick search and you aren't the only person fighting these so take heart! Here's a link to GardenWeb if you want to see what the xperts recommend. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg0615231828039.html


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## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

Here in Nebraska, you can get a chemical at the local co-op that will neutralize the soil and NOTHING will grow for years. I was going to apply this to the neighbors garden after they shot our first dog with a bebee gun. They love their flower garden and would have a heck of a time figuring out why nothing would grow! But I never had the guts to do it. So I guess it depends on how well you like your neighbors as to what extent you will go to.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Renee said:


> Here in Nebraska, you can get a chemical at the local co-op that will neutralize the soil and NOTHING will grow for years. I was going to apply this to the neighbors garden after they shot our first dog with a bebee gun. They love their flower garden and would have a heck of a time figuring out why nothing would grow! But I never had the guts to do it. So I guess it depends on how well you like your neighbors as to what extent you will go to.


insert evil laugh here. :evil: How deliciously bad that would be Renee. I can't believe they hit your dog with a beebee.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I'd do it Renee! I have a friend who has a dog that wandered into their yard one day and never left. She's beautiful and they reported her missing but nobody claimed her so they've had her for a while. She took her in to be spayed and mentioned a bump on her nose to the vet, they said they'd look closely at it while she was under anesthesia. Turned out to be a beebee that was embedded in her nose. How cruel is that??? Spray the [email protected]&* plants!


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Morning Glories are an invading weed. I didn't read the link but you have to get the root and every bloom leaves seeds that come back the next year. I am forever pulling them out of my round about garden. The woods have a way of taking every thing back.

I would let my neighbor know the Morning Glories are very pretty on their side of the fence but not on yours and you are planning on killing them on your side. Be very careful with the Round-up it will damage or kill anything it touches. I am very carful to only use it in the very early morning when there is no wind. If you can cut a tree that overhangs in your yard, surely you can poison a weed.

You might also ask them if they have noticed an increase in the flea population and what preventative are they own as you may need to change because you have seen the fleas.


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## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

This all happened several years ago. But I guess they wouldn't suspect me if I did it now, would they? The worst part is they used to coax DJ into their yard WITH FOOD. Then one day DJ went in their yard, and the neighbor, for whatever reason, got pissed about it and shot him in the butt with a bebee gun. He was even bleeding. My husband SAW him do it, and he denied it when we confronted them about it. I was PISSED to say the least. He touches one of my dogs now, and the consequences will be WORSE than just neutralizing their garden. NOBODY messes with MY babies. I will be hooking up a video surveillence system, and will get him on tape. Since the incident, we built about a 9 foot awning over/around our hot tub. We can't see them, and they can't see us. Fences DO make better neighbors!


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*that is very awful to do...*

some people have a cruel streak...a poor defenseless animal...


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I'd spray the vine with Arsenal. Common name is Powerline. Unfortunately, the smallest size I've seen is a quart, cost around a hundred bucks, and makes about thirty gallons of spray. It was developed for spraying new stands of pine trees to kill off Sweet Gums and other fast growing hardwoods. It will kill anything but a pine tree. It doesn't appear to kill stuff to start with but it look unheathly for a while and won't come back next year. You would only need about half a cc to kill that vine diluted. I could send you some if I can figure out how. If you are interested Pm me.

For the yard I'd spray it with something with d-Linonene in it. You can buy the concentrate or use something like one of the orange degreasers, Fantastic makes one that can be found in the grocery store, or the generic dish detergent Sun & Earh. Use a hose end sprayer. It's not toxic like even Sevin would be. It works great and it hasn't bothered our dogs at all. I spray our dog yards after we've put them to bed.


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## Chasza (Dec 10, 2008)

Tom, do you know if any of these will allow re-planting of other vegetation/ grass and still be strong enough to kill off stronger weeds / small trees?

I have a very steep bank behind my house that had alot of pines on it. I had them removed b/c my house is situation right next to this bank, and those trees were becoming dangerious. It's a steep, high bank. Well, of course all the trees have re-sprouted so there are several branches where just one trunk was and there were alot of different tree growth and I also have TONS, TONS of weeds/polk salad, as well as ivy.

What I want to do is plant a low growing type of zosia sod, and then plant particular small growth trees that will benefit the birds/wild animals. So, I don't want to poison everything for good, but honestly, we are stumped as how to get rid of this terrible, over-grown weedy, tree sprouted bank.

It was suggested to me to use what they use around power lines (probably what you first mentioned), but I don't want to hurt the animals. Besides the birds, I now have a groundhog making residence up there. It is about 150' + wide, and 100' in depth -- so it's a lot of ground to cover.

Thanks, 

Lynn


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I can send you some kudzu.... I don't think anything wins in a battle with it!

I would first be simple and just talk to the neighbor. I personally like morning glories and we used to have them and I had no clue they were poisonous to dogs.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

I actually planted some MGs in the yard to grow on an arbor. I love the way they look. But, if I didn't treat them 'roughly' and cut them back mercilessly, I can see how they'd take over in no time. I do know they are toxic to dogs, however Tori shows absolutely no interest in them at all (unless she sees a lizard run in there to hide :bolt: Poor things aren't safe anywhere with her around ).


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Chasza, It just kills what you spray it on. In fact you don't even need to use a pump sprayer. You can use an empty spray bottle from the house like Clorox Cleanup, Windex, etc., comes in. You can kill larger hardwood trees by hacking a place into the bark and spraying it with the spray bottle in the fall when the sap starts going down. I've fought Sweet Gums in our yard for 28 years and last year was the first year I've ever been able to kill them.

Do a Google search for "Arsenal herbicide" and you will find all sorts of info on it. I've seen powerline crews spray it big time off the back of a truck but I just use it for spot cleaning here and there.

If you don't have much acreage to look after maybe several people could get together and divide one of the quarts up. The quart would kill everything on a half acre, but of course the pine trees. It may even available in stores now, but we have plenty of use for it so I don't really need small quantities.


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## Chasza (Dec 10, 2008)

Tom, 

Thank You, Thank You!! :thumb: :thumb:


I especially appreciate being told to hack a section into the tree in the fall to spray into it. Ugggh - the amount of 'sprouted' sections off of the magnolia's and other trees is very intimidating. I will be most happy to buy a quart of it and use! I will check with the local farmer's co-op and see if I can purchase it there. I have alot to clear and it will be so worth having a product that really works.

I don't have time right now to read up on it thorougly, but doing a quick search with the name you supplied, I found this:
..Powerline....."can be used to promote the growth and re-colonization of the desirable, native plants that provide forage and enhance wildlife habitat"

WOOOHOOOOOO -- that's exactly what I want. I am so happy to find a possible solution. I will start getting my info and product in line and start lining up someone to do this for me (it's waaaay too much for me to handle on my own) 

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!! :cheer2:

Lynn


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