Grapevines of Wrath cause frustration around Fallbrook

The Fallbrook community is known for its lush, green countryside that sprawls throughout the open spaces of the area. This beautiful backdrop, synonymous with the quiet community of Fallbrook, has one plant in particular that leaves horticulturalists and plant aficionados cringing with dread.

The California wild grape, known as vitis californica, is a California native plant that grows well in the Fallbrook area. Too well, according to some who have tried to get rid of it so other plants can prosper.

Stacey Riggs, a Fallbrook resident and owner of the Fallbrook Trading Company, said that the plant ran rampant in her back yard and the ravine behind it.

“It went over my trees and back down into the ravine,” she said. “It took a couple of months to just yank it out.”

The plant, nicknamed “Roger’s Red” for its bright leaves, does not seem threatening – unless you know what it is and what it does. The vines of the plant cover the ground and climb onto other plants, covering them with twisted and woody ropes of vine covered in green leaves, which turn orange and yellow in the fall. Originally considered to be an ornamental plant because of its interesting colors and leaf shape, the plant is frequently seen in the area. The plant does not need a lot of water, and can grow up to several feet each year.

“Once you know what it looks like, you might be alarmed at how much there is,” said Riggs. “Most of my neighbors had never noticed it at all, but a lot of areas are overgrown with it. It will grow to the top of the tallest trees, like kudzu, and will strangle them. If you look for information about wild grapes online, you can see it is a problem in the Midwest. Right now, it is going dormant, and people cut it back thinking it’s dead, but in the spring it will pop up again, greater than the year before.”

Roger Boddaert, a horticulture expert and Fallbrook resident, said the plant originated in Oregon, and can be a plague to the native California Oak. The California Native Plant Society has listed the plant as one of Southern California’s native species, and even offers information on how to purchase the grape vines. However, the hardiness and durability of the plant make it a difficult plant to maintain if not vigilantly watched.

“The rapid vine growth covers the trees, and they cannot photosynthesize,” Boddaert explained. “It is extremely hardy and adaptable, and the canes can get quite thick, to the size of a baseball.”

Boddaert said that areas with a significant amount of the plant – which is eaten by skunks, coyotes, badger, possums and deer – include the Riverview Drive area in Fallbrook, as well as the Chaparral and Barranca Canyon areas.

Because the wild grape is a native plant to the area, many do not see its growth as a problem, while others understand the concern that comes from having it take over parts of the rural Fallbrook area.

Boddaert said the wild grape has a slightly fragrant flower, which blossoms May through June, and has small clusters of grapes. The vine has been used by vineyards and winemakers to be a rootstock for various grapes because of its durability. However, he does agree that the plant will “run rampant” and overtake landscapes if the owner does not take care of the plant and prune it frequently.

“It’s everywhere, and is a serious problem,” said Jackie Heyneman, a representative of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, who said the wild grape vines are seen throughout Bonsall. “We are of course concerned with the oak trees in the area, as the tree loses its leaves because it cannot obtain the normal process of photosynthesis when the grape vines grow on them. The leaves are the feeder for the root system, so this cuts back on the life and vigor of the tree, and ultimately the root system fails, and the tree falls over. This is a long and slow process, but it does happen.”

Heyneman said the Fallbrook Land Conservancy had a similar problem with ivy, which was cut at the base of the oak trees to prevent it from growing onto the trunk.

Janet Cobb, of the California Wild Oak Foundation, said California oak trees cannot grow when encumbered by any type of ivy.

“This halts the process, but it is still a serious problem,” she said. “The only thing to do is try and keep the vines from going up the tree. We have not had a problem at Los Jilgueros, but a biological preserve near the corner of Dallas and Reche Road has wild grape planted there. I was not too happy since we are trying to save our trees, such as the oaks and sycamores.”

Heyneman stated that none of the preserves in the land conservancy’s care have problems with the wild grape, and that coastal sage, California holly, and sugar bush have been planted.

“If people treasure their oak trees, they can cut the grape vine off at the base of the root. Otherwise the vines will become in charge of the tree,” said Heyneman. “You don’t have to pull the vines out of the tree. Many people are concerned about spraying with a water pesticide, so this is the safe form.”

Riggs said that her family cut the vines growing in her yard and are in the process of poisoning the stubs.

“First we had to get it out, and it really does get super cumbersome and hard to get out,” she said. “One branch was 40 to 50 feet long. We filled up a 14-foot truck bed; it was so dense. I’m just concerned that people won’t know what this is, and the longer it is allowed to grow, the harder it is to remove. It does not just mess up a habitat; it kills everything underneath it and sucks up all the water. If you don’t see it, then whole area will be completely overrun, and it will be too late. ”