Killing English Ivy

Robie

Can anyone enlighten me as to how to eradicate English Ivy from a yard? Half of a customers yard was planted with the stuff before she bought the home. It's causing too much trouble and she wants it gone.
The area will probably end up being mulched.
I was thinking...
Cut it down with a string-trimmer
Mow it
Rake it
Spray a heavy dose of Ortho Vegetation Killer on it a few times before winter sets in.
In the spring, spray it again and roto-till the ground
Cover with mulch.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.

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mdshunk

A healthy dose of Roundup or Low Vol works well, but nothing will grow there for years. I pretty sure that English Ivy springs straight from the depths of Hell.

Teetorbilt

Cut to ground. Best, pour woody brush and stump killer on the open wounds. Cover with black plastic and mulch. Garanteed to kill anything.

If you have a contact into the Ag. dept. ask for Pathfinder. This stuff will kill anything including you, follow the directions to the EXACT letter.

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Always Greener

glyphosate (Roundup), glufosinate (Finale), triclopyr (Brush B Gon) and diquat (Spectracide Grass & Weed Killer) will kill English ivy but the process is slow. The waxy leaves are a strong defense to topical herbicides and frequent roots aid in its survival from chemical attack. What I would do is cultivate the soil and use round-up. Then no sooner than 10 days after herbicide is applied you can seed the area.

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lxdollarsxl

Lol not quite hell.

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troubleseeker

Try Roundup brush killer mixed a little on the stronger side of the recipe. Do not cut the foliage first as this is how it is absorbed. Definately a project for the active growing season, as it will take several applications to get it all. Just keep reapplying to the new growth. It takes a little longer than just using one of the vegetation killers, but doesn't poison the soil like the do. You can replant much sooner than with a all purpose vegetation killer. The waxy leaves is a barrier to absorbtion, so you have to be persistent.

Charles Bagley

The waxy leaves are going to be a problem. Maybe add some soap to the weed killer to help adhesion to the leaves.

4theroc

the best thing to do is spray it with diesel fuel. kills that crap instantly. u can go blow your money on ortho, it will probably work after the 4th or 5th application

MasterScapes

Well you certaintly dont want to put down anything that would inhibit growth of anything you put in after the Ivy. If it is going up trees, cut it about chest high, and pull it carefully of down to the bottom, Cut this portion, and leave base of plant. This is to be sprayed by any herbicide, spray the base - as you kill the head the body will die theory. Now if the Ivy is trialing on the ground only then, can you use a herbicide with a sticker application "to stick to the leaves"
This can be combined with the herbicide for a less labor intensive, and environmental friendly approach...

DEAD MAN

Yes, yes it does.

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Nergath29

Try mixing 3oz. per gal. MSO into your spray tank when you mix up a batch of herbicide. The MSO helps cut through the darn wax on the ivy leaves.

Austin B.

Garlon 4 and glyphosate.

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LauneLandscapes

What is MSO?

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Tinstaafl

Methionine Sulfoximine.

technique

I cleared a backyard infested with english ivy a few years back. It was about 1/16th acre, took me and another guy all day (10 hours) with pickaxes, axes and lop shears. We found the main root system. Roots were between 1-3 inches in diameter and went as deep as 1.5 feet underground. I cannot imagine any poison being able to permanently kill roots that big or deep. And there was a spider web of them. It was amazing. But anyway, ripping it out manually sure did the trick, and we were able to plant new stuff there the next day without problem in nicely tilled soil.

katoman

Who's English Ivy, and why would you want to kill her?

Austin B.

I agree with Technique... the best way and also the most back-breaking is to get out there, pull them up, dig their roots out, and put the refuge in bags on the curb. Better for your yard in the long run... better for the water supply too.

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