Are you struggling with the fast-growing vines of Oriental Bittersweet? Here's how to turn this problem into a solution without harsh chemicals.
The problem with Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is that it girdles trees and grows quickly. It can spread by the berries and cuttings. It can choke saplings and crowd out native vines.
In this episode of the Prosperity Homestead podcast, I cover a holistic way to remove Oriental bittersweet. Follow these steps to remove this invasive plant forever.
The manual way takes time. Yet, with this approach, you gain multiple benefits. Be patient to work with nature rather than against it. What do you think of this method?
Handling Invasive Plants in a Holistic Way Multiplies Your Blessings
You don't need to cultivate the weed. Every aspect of nature grows something; many blessings come from idle land when you know what you're looking at.
In the case of invasive plants, removal is necessary. Oriental bittersweet girdles healthy trees and outcompetes native beneficial species.
There are many benefits to using holistic invasive plant removal techniques. A holistic or ecologically sound solution eliminates problems with limited side effects.
- Turn fast-growing invasive plants into a protein source. Livestock pressure removes the invasive plant while lowering feed costs.
- Cultivate natural native forage for wildlife and birds. Replace the invasive plant with curated food sources that attract wildlife.
- Open up the habitat for more desirable plants or crops. Removing invasive plants gives natural seed banks a chance to regenerate.
- Preserve timberland and wildlife habitat. Vining invasive plants reduce photosynthesis, which slows tree growth.
- A reversible approach without residual harm. Using herbicides builds up chemicals that harm soil biology and human interaction.
The biggest blessing is clean and healthy environments. A healthy soil biology means fast regrowth. You are more likely to have beneficial plants with less effort.
NOTE: The Oriental bittersweet is easily confused with the less invasive native American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). The native cousin is becoming increasingly rare. Be careful with your removal approach.
How to Identify the American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)
With all the excitement to remove an invasive species, be careful not to kill the increasingly rare American bittersweet. A cousin to the Oriental bittersweet with similar herbal value.
American bittersweet produces flowers (and fruits) in single terminal panicles at the tips of the stems; flower panicles and fruit clusters are about as long as the leaves; the leaves are nearly twice as long as wide and are tapered at each end.
Oriental bittersweet produces flowers in small axillary clusters that are shorter than the subtending leaves, and the leaves are very rounded.
Comparing the two, American bittersweet has fewer, larger clusters of fruit, whereas Oriental bittersweet is a prolific fruiter, with many fruit clusters emerging at multiple points along the stem.
Unfortunately, hybrids of the two occur, which may make identification more difficult. This is why I don't recommend spray-and-pray.
A holistic approach brings you out more often over the seasons to see variations of the plant. Because you are not destroying soil or applying herbicide, you can stop treatment if harm comes to a native plant.
Reference
- Natural Medicinal Herbs. (Last access 2023, September 30). Herb: Oriental Bittersweet. http://naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/c/celastrus-orbiculatus=oriental-bittersweet.php
- USGS. (2007, February). American and Oriental Bittersweet Identification. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_017307.pdf
- Fryer, Janet L. 2011. Celastrus orbiculatus, Oriental bittersweet. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/celorb
