My nemesis, Old Man’s Beard clematis, Clematis vitalba

[CluckerFamily]

My flock leaves my clematis alone. But it also isn't dropping parts into my flock's area. Chickens will eat what drops in their area.
Chances are, the owners of the property don't even know the clematis is there.

 

[RobertaD1]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tordon-rtu-1-qt
THIS will take care of it! Nip the trunk base or cut a few of the branches at the base... then hit it with this on the cut and around the area.... it will kill it at its root. Trim back whats hanging over your run

 

[JedJackson]

Clematis take forever to grow, so please don't poison it. Can you trim back the portion on your property?

Clematis vitalba grows like fire, up to 50 feet high with a 50 foot spread, at least in the PNW, and is a non-native noxious weed. It will strangle any plant in its path, the seeds float and germinate by the thousands, and it is not even very attractive, with tiny off white flowers. It is a very different animal from garden Clematis hybrids and the less rambunctious native species.

 

[JustSarahThanks]

I never knew they were poisonous. It also says theyre bitter so maybe your birds will
quickly learn they are icky?

I never knew they were poisonous. It also says theyre bitter so maybe your birds will
quickly learn they are icky?

It's listed as a 2/10 on the toxicity scale on the PoultryDVM page and mainly seems to be an irritant causing dermatitis where it touches skin and if ingested similar irritation to the throat/stomach/gut. But it also can cause ataxia and seizures I assume if a lot is ingested. But I don't specifically see anything there that makes it seem fatal but of course, anything can be a deadly poison if the dose is large enough and I don't want to risk anything. My birds don't seem even a little bit put off by bitter flavors, too, they go wild for all the bitter greens I toss them, so I don't know. When they see the clematis leaves in their run they book it for them and then squabble over them and I end up joining in the chase after whichever hen has one to try to take it out of her beak and confiscate it.

 

[JustSarahThanks]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tordon-rtu-1-qt
THIS will take care of it! Nip the trunk base or cut a few of the branches at the base... then hit it with this on the cut and around the area.... it will kill it at its root. Trim back whats hanging over your run

Thank you for this recommendation! I did reach out to one of our local invasive species control groups and filled a report so my hope is that they'll actually be the ones to take care of it as that's what they're there for. But yeah, we can absolutely trim back what's hanging over the top of the run as well. And if we're unable to get much in the way of progress with the group I contacted and we do figure out who to talk to as far as the investor group that owns the land then we'll definitely look into whatever controls we can. It's a huge enough vine that it almost makes me think that an arborist would be appropriate.

 

[JustSarahThanks]

Hacksaws are for cutting metal, you need a good pruning saw.
How big is the trunk at the base?

I haven't been able to measure it since it's on the other side of the fence but it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't at least 8 inches to a foot in circumference. It's massive.

 

[aart]

I haven't been able to measure it since it's on the other side of the fence but it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't at least 8 inches to a foot in circumference. It's massive.

Probably need a chainsaw then.
Hopefully the invasives people step up and take it out.

 

[JustSarahThanks]

Hmmm, well that's a little discouraging. I did receive a response from the Oregon Invasives Hotline where they informed me that neither Portland or Oregon as a whole have a legal mandate to remove Clematis vitalba (which... isn't what I heard?) so they don't have the grounds to intervene themselves per se. I did get the name of the actual property owner, no phone number but a mailing address so I suppose it never hurts to ask. Again, my strong preference would be that the property owner be the one who handles this issue since it's rooted on their land but without a formal state/city mandate for removal I'm wondering whether they'll go along so easily. I'll certainly try and see what they say, though.

 

[ackie]

Clematis vitalba grows like fire, up to 50 feet high with a 50 foot spread, at least in the PNW, and is a non-native noxious weed. It will strangle any plant in its path, the seeds float and germinate by the thousands, and it is not even very attractive, with tiny off white flowers. It is a very different animal from garden Clematis hybrids and the less rambunctious native species.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[JedJackson]

Hmmm, well that's a little discouraging. I did receive a response from the Oregon Invasives Hotline where they informed me that neither Portland or Oregon as a whole have a legal mandate to remove Clematis vitalba (which... isn't what I heard?) so they don't have the grounds to intervene themselves per se. I did get the name of the actual property owner, no phone number but a mailing address so I suppose it never hurts to ask. Again, my strong preference would be that the property owner be the one who handles this issue since it's rooted on their land but without a formal state/city mandate for removal I'm wondering whether they'll go along so easily. I'll certainly try and see what they say, though.

That is discouraging. I am not sure how it works in Oregon, but in Washington they classify noxious weeds by three categories, and I think only the worst category can cause intervention by authorities.

It's a good idea to pursue contact with the owners or property managers, but if that doesn't work, you may be forced to either accept and deal with the problem or take stealth measures. Not knowing the area, I can't recommend if this is a good idea or not, but if it was me I would be researching ways to dispose of the plant. I hear fluoride works better than bleach, so that might be something to look into. Also roundup, although that probably wouldn't be effective until the plant leafs out again in Spring.