getting rid of ivy

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fbded Huntsville, AL(Zone 7a) Jan 31, 2008

I am trying to do somrthing with a completely negleied acre in the city. The lawn has been kept mowed but that is about all. I have a small garden space and some fruit trees planted in the front. The back is slopping and wooded and is my problem, right now, as it is covered in ivy.
Is there a way to get rid of english ivy without destorying the very
nice periwinkle under it. The ivy is taking over everything (think kudzu on a small scale). I need the ground cover
but the periwinkle is just fine for the ground cover. Please don't say I have to pull it out by hand.

Annie

This message was edited Jan 31, 2008 6:17 PM

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Feb 01, 2008

Unfortunately pulling it out by hand or digging up the entire area is often the best way to get rid of it. You can try an herbicide like Brush B Gon, it's more effective on new pale green leaves than it is on the older darker green leaves (these have a waxy coating which prevents the herbicide from getting through effectively). But you'll have to be very careful--I can pretty much guarantee your periwinkle will succumb to the herbicide overspray well before it makes a dent in the ivy.

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WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom Feb 09, 2008

For a large area where you have plants you want to save, yet still use herbicides, the best way to go (it's slow) but get an old paint brush, rubber gloves and lift up a piece of the ivy in one hand, crush the leaves to make sure the herbicide will get through to the bruised plant, then paint that part of the ivy, you move onto the next bit, the ivy takes the herbicide down to the roots and it will die off slowly, by painting the stuff on, the wind wont blow the stuff onto other plants and you may save more of the Periwinkle that way too, normally herbicides cant effect other plants once it dries onto the painted area as when dry, it ant spread other than to the roots of the painted plant, you don't have to go painting every leave, the killer will travel to the roots, as Ivy spreads buy running across the soil, each part that touches the soil will grow roots, but this new plant is still attached to the parent, you will slowly over a period of time brush more parts of the ivy mass, you may need to repeat this treatment a few times, but the ivy leaves will not take in the killer unless you damage some leaves so the wound is able to take the killer down to roots, as Ecrane said, the ivy has a protective oily coating to prevent the leaves drying out in winter, most ever green plants have this protection. good luck WeeNel.

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