Foo - Help me kill my Ivy.

I have ivy taking over in my backyard... before I call in an agent orange airstrike...anyone have any good tips for killing it off? Pulling it all is WAY too much work. Normally I am against using chemicals unless I have to......but I have to. :)

Sounds like a job for Round up to me

You don't need no stinkin' chemicals. Rip it out by hand. Cut it here there to facilitate.

Besides, even if you kill it with chemicals, you still have to rip it out. :rolleyes:

Use Roundup. If you pull it up and don't get it all you will just be pulling it up again in a couple of weeks. When you don't get or kill the root system you are just giving the ivy a severe pruning.
RoundUp takes very little to be effective, is absorbed thru the leaves and has a very short active span. Just don't spray it in fish bearing water.

bleach

For a couple of years, every now and then I would fill another trash bin with ivy. Unless you have several acres you could get it under control in a year or two by sacrificing a bike ride a month. Yes, you do have to pull it up by the roots. It can spring back from tiny pieces. Now I pull a few hundred tiny seedlings a year that come up from seeds produced by neighbors ivy. If you resent the time lost and have the $$$ hire a gardening service to do a little botanical ethnic cleansing for you. Round-Up will only kill the leaves. If you want something strong enough to get down into the roots check with your local county Agricultural Agent. Get the names of professional services that have the permits and training to handle the dangerous chemicals needed. The side effects of those herbicides were more than i wanted.

you're doomed, move house.

Gasoline...just douse the entire yard, and the neighbor's yards.

Sure there won't be any grass there for a while, but at least the Ivy will be gone :p

Gasoline...just douse the entire yard, and the neighbor's yards.

Sure there won't be any grass there for a while, but at least the Ivy will be gone :p

I was thinking napalm... I guess I'll just start pulling. I probalby have 1/8 an acre worth of the crap...

Gasoline...just douse the entire yard, and the neighbor's yards.

Sure there won't be any grass there for a while, but at least the Ivy will be gone :p

Damn right. Roundup is toxic garbage, and I actually got sick using it for a landscaping job. Fire is natures way, or at least it was until smokey the bear came into the mix. Fire kills everything it burns, and then actually improves soil quality. Just be careful not to start a forest fire or burn down your neighbors house or something.

Coffee, plants can't stand it.

Ivy is one step away from being declared a pest in Oregon--unless that's already happened and I missed it.

Can you borrow a few goats from time to time? They're more efficient than sheep because they pull up vegetation rather than clip it as sheep do. Goats are also quieter. With the size of lot you describe, you might be able to keep a pair on your land. They might not eliminate the ivy but once you get the right ratio of animals to land, it will stay under control. They're low maintenance and less likely to become a snack for a coyote as they are out here in the country. (I live 19 miles from Salem.)

Use roundup to make a better world for your kids

Round up works great. I have used it to kill ivy and it worked well.

RoundUp+

You chemical freaks.

I was thinking napalm... I guess I'll just start pulling. I probalby have 1/8 an acre worth of the crap...
good upper body exercise and time in the sun! at least that is what I mutter under my breath when I'm out there pulling up those vines!

Damn right. Roundup is toxic garbage, and I actually got sick using it for a landscaping job. Fire is natures way, or at least it was until smokey the bear came into the mix. Fire kills everything it burns, and then actually improves soil quality. Just be careful not to start a forest fire or burn down your neighbors house or something.
I agree if you are in an area where you can burn it and you have the required knowlege to do a controlled burn then do it, otherwise use the RoundUp sparingly and follow the mixing suggestions exactly. after the ivy dies mow it down and cover the area with mulch until you plant (to prevent erosion). Straw is a cheap mulch you can find anywhere. Dont try to plant right away the RoundUp will have a residual effect on what you plant the bottle will tell you how long. Alternativly you can try to contact you local soil and water conservation district office or local usda office for information on the best method to remove the ivy.

Don't you have any kids in the neighborhood looking for summer work?

"Round-Up will only kill the leaves. If you want something strong enough to get down into the roots check with your local county Agricultural Agent."

This is incorrect. Roundup(glyphosphate) is a systemic weedkiller, it is drawn into the plant system, including roots, while the plant is producing sugar and prevents the plant from processing nutrient, killing it.
Some people have a mild reaction to it, most do not.
My property had lots of posion ivy on it, my wifes reaction to poison ivy (even a touch), is far worse than my reacton to Roundup, which so far has been zero. If you were to drink it daily, you could have long tern ill effects. Peanuts, strawberries and shellfish kill a lot more people than Roundup.
Poundup is also quickly degrades, does not leach into soil and will not cause problems when you plant something else there next month.

Now Scepter, is a different story. It requires a permit to use, will kill the hell out of any plant it touches, and render soil barren for several years.

RoundUp can and will leach into the soil and has a residual effect of approximatly several weeks. So it is important to wait before you plant.

I read that the best way to kill it is to deprive it of light by covering it with a tarp or black plastic.

I have Algerian ivy in my yard. That's the type with the very large leaves. Spraying it with Roundup doesn't seem to bother it much at all. It turns the leaves a little brown around the edges, but that's about it. The ivy chokes out other plants an has even killed a couple of trees.

operation ivy?

I read that the best way to kill it is to deprive it of light by covering it with a tarp or black plastic.

I have Algerian ivy in my yard. That's the type with the very large leaves. Spraying it with Roundup doesn't seem to bother it much at all. It turns the leaves a little brown around the edges, but that's about it. The ivy chokes out other plants an has even killed a couple of trees.

I use black plastic for small little sections. I think it is only practical for sections about 15 feet wide by 25 feet long. For 1/8 of an acre it would be expensive. Also, the plastic has to be there for several weeks.

I'd just use some roundup. It will kill everything you get it on so if there are some plants you want to save, be careful. Also, wear heavy duty chemical resitant latex or rubber gloves (you can find those at the same place you can buy roundup) while spraying and handling the stuff. I try not to use roundup but sometimes, I have to. It sounds like you may have a case where you need some chemicals.

Sorry, I messed this post up earlier today.

My husband got rid of ivy around our house by first cutting it down to the roots and rolling it up, bundling it as necessary. He then walked the cut areas once or twice a week pulling any and all green shoots he saw. This work killed it quick. Of course he cut it late spring and it didn't get any water for the whole summer (we are in southern California), but he got rid of it.

I would try to cut the stuff down to the ground, just before the driest season you have and then try to pull shoots frequently. You can starve the stuff, but if it gets water, you will have to work on it.

I don't like to use chemicals, but if you cut to the ground first then sprayed Roundup on the new growth that comes up after, I bet you will use less of the stuff and kill the ivy quicker. The fewer chemicals used for me, the better.

Can you borrow a few goats from time to time?

BroMax, you rock.

Growing up, we had a goat to keep the poison ivy at bay. They are amazing. Here in Summit County, the local gov. uses sheep to mitigate the noxtious weed problem.

Get a goat
Crack a beer
Throw some shoes
Get in a ride

No problemo ..the goat is on the job.

The goat was fun to play with too.

chemicals sux

BroMax, you rock.

Growing up, we had a goat to keep the poison ivy at bay. They are amazing. Here in Summit County, the local gov. uses sheep to mitigate the noxtious weed problem.

Get a goat
Crack a beer
Throw some shoes
Get in a ride

No problemo ..the goat is on the job.

The goat was fun to play with too.

chemicals sux
:eek: