Grapevines - - firewood?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : CountrySide Family : One Thread

I am clearing an area that has been wild for a long time, and there are BIG grapevines growing in the trees. ( Tarzan & Jane could both swing at once). Some are as big around as 3 or 4 inches.

Can you burn grapevines? Anyone know how they rate on the heat scale?

-- Granny Hen (cluckin along@cs.com), August 26, 2002

Answers

are you sure its grapevine,, and NOT poison ivy? IF your sure, its ok/fine to burn them,, but the work better as kindleing, instead of fuel. After they are dry,, there isnt much weight left to them.

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), August 26, 2002.

Yes, Stan. They are grapevine. While I'm asking - - is there an easy way to cut the tendrils that grow down and root in the ground? One little section about 10 inches long had five roots coming off it.

These things ARE big. They have strangled some of the trees they picked to hang around with. I can only reach, with the saw, about six foot off the ground, so I'll next have to figure out how to get them out of the trees I want to save.

-- Granny Hen (cluckin along@cs.com), August 26, 2002.


I know that grape vines work well if you are going to smoke meats- especially pork & venison. I have wild grapes growing along the fence line & they do climb a ways up into the trees. But mine are nothing like yours, mine stay small enough that each fall I just pull them down to turn into grapevine wreath material. If you've got a truck you might think about hooking them with a tow hook and using the truck to pull them out of the trees.

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), August 26, 2002.

You can burn'em ,but how about coiling them into some nice stools!

-- David R In W. Tn. (srimmer@charter.net), August 26, 2002.

David, how do you mean? I'm not quite visualizing "stools". I have those same ones all over the place, as well, so it could be a cool project. I have made many a grape vine wreath with the smaller stuff!

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 26, 2002.


Kathy, don't you think something like that would make exquisite Christmas gifts! ;-)

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 26, 2002.

Patty,I have a block of stove wood 16 to 18 inches round,18 to 20 inches in lenght,with the bark peeled off,that I use for a jig or a form sort of.Start your grapevine from the floor up around the jig,putting in 3 to 4 deck screws in each circle after the first.You will soon see how to start an end it.For the seat,I use 3 to 4 inch thick ,same dia. of stool,slide into top an screw it into place.Use the grapevines while they are still green.You may want to just free hand them.

-- David R In W. Tn. (srimmer@charter.net), August 27, 2002.

Thank you , David! :-) Sounds do-able! Um, one question, no base? Are they "tippy" at all?

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 27, 2002.

They are not"tippy"!!

-- David R In W. Tn. (srimmer@charter.net), August 28, 2002.

Golll-ly, I was just asking! ;-) Ok, sorry, my mistake...NOT "tippy"!! LOL

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 28, 2002.


Not an answer, but a question. i am looking for some grapevines (not as large as you describe) to use at Girl Scout camp to make wreaths this summer. Do you have anything that I can use? It's mid June and I am getting despirate! Unfortunately, there are are no vines on the camp property.

-- Jan Hamlin (jan.hamlin@comcast.net), June 18, 2003.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ