how can I get rid of ivy vines growing around foundation of house?

Answer 1

Ivy is hard to get rid of. what we had to do was dig them up to get rid of the roots.

Answer 2

Your going to have spend some time
digging them out. The root system
needs to be removed to totally
remove ivy vines. Once you've done it
your ready to plant something new.

Answer 3

You have to poison the plant. Cutting it down won't work. You have to kill the roots or it will keep growing back. Try an herbicide like Roundup. And remember. Don't chop up the plant before you poison it because the poison is absorbed through the leaves, not the stems or stalks.

Answer 4

Have you tried spraying them with a herbicide? You might try "Round-Up" first since it doesn't have a long life and won't kill other things you plant there later.

Answer 5

We just moved into a house that has ivy vines all over it. We didnt like it so we were asking every garden store how to kill them. They didnt seem to know so I took action and went online and this is what it said:

Removal of Ivy From Brickwork

If you ever want to remove the ivy, be very cautious as you can easily pull the mortar off with the ivy. You may want to consult with a mason, who can help you evaluate the consequences of removing it or leaving it alone.

1.Cut the stems: Working in late winter or early cut the ivy stems as low down to the wall as you can manage. If you have some ivy-killing herbicide then paint this onto the exposed cuts parts of the ivy that connect to the root system, this will help prevent the roots from re-growing, note this will only help prevent the roots from re-growing, see 'Permanent removal of Ivy' for more details on how to kill ivy completely.

2. Prune Aggressively: As with removing from ivy from trees it is best to leave the cut ivy to die for 1-2years before attempting to remove from the brickwork. However it is not so beneficial to wait as the ivy tends to come away from walls easier, and there is less chance of it pulling the material that it is clinging to away with it.So either immediately or after a period of time simply prune, cut and generally pull the ivy off the brickwork. Whatever the state of the ivy, be prepared for this to be hard-work!

3. Scrape off Tendrils and Suckers: Use a stiff-blade scraper to remove the part of the vines that remain fastened to the wall. Work slowly and scrape at a relatively low angle (about 20 to 30 degrees) to minimize scratching brick, and wear gloves to protect your scraping hand. If you are working from a ladder, make sure your ladder is on firm, level ground; keep one hand on the ladder and don't overextend your reach.

4. Scrub or Burn off Residue: If some plant material remains, you may be able to scrub it off with a moderately stiff brush (wire brushes and even very stiff brushes may scratch brick), use a paint scraper (with a small amount of paint remover for stubborn areas) or use a propane torch to burn it off. Caution: If you use a torch, remember to wear goggles, and keep it well away from any wood or cracks. Remember that there's more flame than you may be able to see, especially in strong sunlight. Test in an inconspicuous area to make sure using the torch won't permanently scorch the masonry.

Permanent Removal of Ivy Back to top
If you do wish to permanently kill ivy then you have a lot of work ahead of you! It is very difficult to kill the entire ivy plant, and can only generally be done with a lot of hard work and persistence. Generally it is very difficult to kill an entire ivy plant by use herbicides alone. The two major factors that protect the ivy plant are its waxy leaves that prevent the uptake of the herbicide, and the other is its almost phenomenal resistance to most toxins. It is certainly possible to brown out foliage, and in some cases it will appear to have controlled the ivy plant permanently. However generally, over time, green shoots will appear out of the dead foliage. Timing of treatment is a factor, too. Different mixes of herbicides and surfactants applied at different times of the year seem to have different levels of effectiveness, the strongest herbicide that Whatprice have identified is sold by Crocus. Skill and experience of the individual applying the herbicide also seems to have an effect. The best way to apply herbicide is to paint it onto fresh cuts in the plant stems. The alternative to herbicides is to use good old manual labour. Simply remove all the ivy shoots from your trees/fences/walls as described above, and then attack the roots! Chop the roots down as far as you can with pruning knives, axes, pruning-saws, or whatever you have handy, and then try to pull up or dig up as much of the root system as you can. If you do this thoroughly enough then you may be able to kill the ivy plant completely. Unfortunately it is rarely the case that you can attack and remove the roots completely. They may well grow under brick walls, or across your wonderfully turfed garden which you do not want to dig up completely. Therefore in most cases you will want to do a combined attack to kill the ivy. This involves cutting the ivy plant back as much as possible, and then painting any remaining exposed roots or stems with a concentrated herbicide. You may find that you have to do this several times a year, and possibly have to experiment with different herbicides before you finally kill the entire ivy plant.


Good luck! That all came from this site:

http://www.whatprice.co.uk/articles/ivy.html#RemoveWalls

Answer 6

I have used Roundup spay it kills anything that it comes into contact with. Give it a try!!!!!