I want to get rid of Trailing Ivy out of my garden. What can I use to get rid? I am an O.A.P Heavy digging out

Question

I am looking for a "spray" type of answer as heavy digging is out of the question.

Answer 1

The best spray herbicide would be a systemic weedkiller. In the UK, the only ones available to the public are based on the chemical glyphosate (Roundup is one, but it's easy enough to tell - just look at the container). There are stronger formulations available to licensed sprayers only, but that would be overkill - you don't need them.

'Systemic' means that it affects the plant's whole system: spray or paint it on the leaves and the plant absorbs it and takes it down into its roots, which kills it. That's the theory, though it needs to ingest enough to do the trick, so if there are only a few leaves showing, wait until the plant is bigger and has more leaf surface to spray. If there are other plants around that you don't want affected, paint the stuff on the leaves rather than spray it on.

One good thing about glyphosate is that it only affects the plants it touches, and is claimed not to poison the soil, though there is some dispute about that.

Do use gloves: the herbicide itself has low toxicity, but some of the binding agents (to stop the herbicide rolling off the leaves before it is absorbed) can provoke allergic reactions.

As an alternative to a herbicidal spray, if the ivy is trailing across the ground rather than up walls or fences, if you snip the stems and then mow regularly, the plant will have a hard time surviving. The root system may still be in place, but without the leaves to absorb the sunlight (photosynthesis), it will be weakened and eventually die.

Finally, if any of this sounds a bit much for arthritic limbs, do the scouts still do bob-a-job week (I imagine it's not still called that)? There must still be youngsters around who will want to supplement their pocket money with odd jobs. Just make sure you know them or their families - there are young crooks around too!

Good luck!

Answer 2

What? No kindly neighbours about these days? When I was a kid I was always going round cutting lawns, hedges, clearing weeds, painting, etc for the old people in the village. They'd get a job done, a visitor and a chat. I'd get copious amounts of tea and cake, fresh air and exercise.
Obviously you've got to be a bit more careful these days about who you let in, but surely there's somebody about who fancies earning a couple of quid, it would be much more beneficial than spending loads on a spray, they're quite expensive and I really wouldn't trust all these chemicals going into the ground.

Answer 3

Sprays based on glycophosphate work well on ivy. Murphy's Tumbleweed is one, but you may find your local garden centre does a cheaper own brand.

Be careful to keep the spray off any wanted plants. Plastic carrier bags are good for this.

Answer 4

Try going to the local hardware store and find an herbicide that contains the active ingredient called; TRICLOPYR. I think it goes under the name of "Brush-B-Gone" (sp?)

It does an excellent job controlling blackberries, poison oak, poison ivy, etc. Just follow the directions and make sure you spray as much of the ivy that you can and protect the plants in your garden by shielding them with a tarp or plastic.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

The surest method of removing ground ivy from an infested lawn is to skin off the rather shallow layer that contains the roots and probably also a good supply of seeds, and relay with new sod or with clean seed."

Answer 6

Just yesterday I was in a Walmart getting weed killer. There was a product I have never seen called ivy killer. If you go to http://www.ortho.com & put poison ivy killer in the search the spray product you are looking for is there. I couldn't find it on the Walmart website but it was in the store. Good Luck

Answer 7

Round -Up will get rid of the Ivy but will will leave that ground desolate for up to a year.

Answer 8

My gardener once told me to dig a trench about 6 inches away from the roots and pour into it diesel fuel.Let me know if it does work.

Answer 9

In B&Q they sell a spray especially to kill Ivy you just spray it on - check it out!!

Answer 10

Get Sue K to come and dig it out she needs one for her wall