Kill English Ivy

[RalphVa]

Some English Ivy came in on the east side of the pool cyclone fence and marched all the way around the fence and around 3 sides of my little veggie garden on the west side. I liked it at first, because it stopped me from needing to weed around the base of the fence.

However, it has started to climb up into my diesel generator that sits in the upper (more shady) part of the little garden. Enough.

I'm a master gardener and have therefore researched how to get rid of it. Seems the only chemicals are some very exotic ones that I wonder about re whether they've been properly tested as to what happens to them if they get into the environment. For instance, glyphosate (which does not work sprayed onto the leaves) excess gets tied up in clay soil, and it eventually biodegrades. Well, they'll all eventually biodegrade, but I have no idea what happens in the meantime if excess gets away, etc.

The leading contender among the chemical herbicides seems to be Garlon. Active ingredient in it is triclopr. Lowes had some Bio Advantage "Brush Killer" whose active ingredient is triclopr. Bought some of it. Sprayed some on the ivy. Absolutely no effect after nearly a week, and I sprayed with a hot, dry spell after. Seems to have had no effect.

So, I'm wondering what any of you have used successfully. I found a recipe for some vinegar using a tiny bit of salt and dish soap online that they claim will kill it. May try it. Another place or two online, they tell about killing it when growing up trees by cutting big stems of it, wrapping with duct tape and pouring salt into cavity made by duct tape wrap.

None of this stuff, mainly at the base of the cyclone fence around the pool, has a big stem to cut. It's all just little stuff with roots growing into the ground any place it touches, mainly lots of leaves.

I suspect that glyphosate will work, if I ran a grass whip over the leaves to damage them, before spraying. Unless I get some good experience from you guys, I think I'll try the vinegar with salt and soap first though. I'm out of glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup). That's how I ended up with the triclopr stuff. Lowes was out of glyphosate and Roundup solutions.

Ralph

 

[newbury]

I've used gyphosate, works best when there are new leaves showing.

 

[Tompet]

I just went through this last month on a 10' x 20' island patch in the yard. It was old patch with some big roots. I took the backhoe and lightly pulled up what I could and carefully took it to burn pile. Then sprayed RM33 total vegetation killer. Seemed to work.

Besides being only and last ivy patch on my property some bindweed also was in this area, thus the total kill effort.

I think your idea of lightly weed whipping then spraying roundup will work. You probably will have to repeat application.

 

[bcp]

Roundup has a version for that. (I haven't used it)

How to Get Rid of English Ivy - Weeding Wisely

Bruce

 

[/pine]

I've found the best way to get rid of it is to just bite the bullet and remove it manually...it pulls up rather easily and except for the few places where the roots break in stead of pulling up...a follow up pulling is required when it sprouts back...

 

[Streetcar]

Ivy has a waxy leave. I hit it with a rake before spraying roundup

 

[stuckmotor]

Please let us know how the vinegar, salt, soap solution works. I planted some around thirty years ago. Now it's climbing trees and trying to come in the house. Not a sprig is growing where I'd hoped it would thrive.

 

[wngsprd]

I've had good success with generic gly diluted to a 2% solution on English Ivy...the label calls for a stronger mix (3 or 4%) for some plants, but I don't remember if ivy is one of them. Agri-Supply or Tractor Supply should have some.

 

[Ford850]

A couple things to keep in mind... You want to apply the herbicides when the plant is growing vigorously so it absorbs the chemical quickly. Hot and dry weather means poor results most of the time in my area because the plants are semi-dormant or resting. The other thing is to use a good surfactant especially on ivy that has waxy leaves. I've had good luck with both glyphosate and with generic crossbow (crossroads from RK), when surfactant is added to the mix.

 

[turnkey4099]

A couple things to keep in mind... You want to apply the herbicides when the plant is growing vigorously so it absorbs the chemical quickly. Hot and dry weather means poor results most of the time in my area because the plants are semi-dormant or resting. The other thing is to use a good surfactant especially on ivy that has waxy leaves. I've had good luck with both glyphosate and with generic crossbow (crossroads from RK), when surfactant is added to the mix.

I planted ivy against a RR tie retaining wall, covered it nicely and continued to spread. In spryaing 24D for morning glory one spring I oversprayed a patch of ivy. It died. Not sure what type ivy I planted though.

 

[RalphVa]

Been too rainy without a couple days in between to try anything else yet. Still no apparent effect from when I sprayed the triclopr solution. Think I'll try mixing the vinegar with salt and dish soap first. Gotta get a couple days with sunshine. All of a sudden we got hit with 7 inches and now more forecast these next 3 days. Gotta wait a while.

I'm not a fan or 24,D. It is so easily volatilized. You could spray it and then kill something a mile or more away where it condenses. I'd only try it via painting on. Think excess can harm water life stuff if it gets onto the ground and runs off via some rain. I'd have to check this but think it's so.

Ralph

 

[ericm979]

triclopyr takes a few weeks to really see an effect. I use it on poison oak. I have tried the usual 1% solution for foliar application on ivy and did not have a lot of success. It knocked it back a little but that's all.

 

[DrRod]

I use RoundUp on English Ivy and Poison Ivy with good results. Higher concentrations work faster but even a light application on a bright, dry day will kill it in s couple of weeks.

 

[3Ts]

We have Yaupon here that is invasive and hard to kill. The recommended approach is spot spray with 20% Garlon & 80% Diesel applied as a basal spray in the spring when it's growing. May want to check with your county Ag agent to see what they have to recommend.

 

[ericm979]

That Garlon + diesel works well on poison oak. It kills the plant dead. Foliar spray kills the leaves that get sprayed. If you miss some the plant won't die and will come back. The difficult parts are getting to the stem and finding a sprayer and nozzle that can stand up to diesel.

 

[fishheadbob]

A couple things to keep in mind... You want to apply the herbicides when the plant is growing vigorously so it absorbs the chemical quickly. Hot and dry weather means poor results most of the time in my area because the plants are semi-dormant or resting. The other thing is to use a good surfactant especially on ivy that has waxy leaves. I've had good luck with both glyphosate and with generic crossbow (crossroads from RK), when surfactant is added to the mix.

X2..
Don't weed whack it before applying glyphosate, plants need to be vigorously growing and gly is absorbed through the leaves. Most formulations of Roundup or glyphosate come with added surfactant, adding any additional sticker adds nothing. Only something with a name like original formulation wouldn't have the added surfactant. And ivy is notoriously hard to kill, if it were me I'd go with a 3 or 4% solution. You won't need much, but that stuff can take up to 2 weeks to show results
Triclopyr isn't the right stuff for what you want to do, that's more for woody brush and trees. As always, read and follow label dirrections.

 

[stuckmotor]

Deer were about to eat all of the ivy off the retaining wall where my brother lives. Now he has a small dachshund that goes near the wall fairly regularly and the ivy is growing back. He thinks they are cautious because of the dog's scent. The cats aren't even afraid of that little guy.