Weed Actions Weed of the Month is wild jasmine.

Everyone knows wild jasmine right! Unfortunately the fragrant fragile flowers are a facade to what damage this perennial, evergreen, climbing vine is doing to our native ngahere.

Many areas around Reotahi, Manaia and Parua Bay have been affected by dense masses, some covering the forest floor to the size of football fields.

It’s a highly shade tolerant vine which grows rapidly in the understorey and then into the canopy. Living up to 20 years, wild jasmine smothers all plants from ground level to medium to high canopy and stops any native seedlings from regenerating.

Jasmine is very hard to kill once established (stems root wherever they contact the ground) so the best thing to do is to ensure you don’t introduce it to your property, deliberately or accidentally, and ensure that you dispose of your garden waste responsibility if you have it at your place.

How do I control it?

Special disposal notes: Spread primarily by garden dumping. Dispose of appropriately.

• Manual control is difficult due to growth form. Vines can be progressively rolled up, and disposed at a refuse transfer station, or by drying thoroughly and composting, or drying and burning, or burying deeply.
• Stem fragments left in soil after rolling will re-sprout, and then these can be manually pulled (or followed up with herbicide methods below). Intensive follow up required to locate and pull regrowth from any remaining stem fragments.
• Prune vines as close to original stem as possible, then immediately treat cut stem with (5g metsulfuron + 1ml penetrant/1L water), or (250ml Banvine® + 10ml penetrant/1L water).
• Dispose of all cut stems at a refuse transfer station, or by drying thoroughly and composting, or drying and burning, or burying deeply.
• Cut back & spray regrowth (wait for healthy, mature foliage) with (5g metsulfuron+10ml penetrant/10L water), or (120ml Banvine® + 10ml penetrant/10L water).

https://weedaction.org.nz/jasmine/