How the devil do I kill my ivy on the rear of the house?

[Pferdestarke]

This stuff is unreal! I've already cut through the main arterial roots and fully expected it to die a slow and lingering death. Oh no, it's still growing like the clappers and taking over the soffits.

How have you dealt with yours?

I want it dead!!!

[BigotOut]

Used engine oil in the roots? I've used it on a buddhlia but not ivy.

[richyb]

Herbicide can be very effective. Anything Glyphosate based will do the trick. Can be sprayed onto to the underside of leaves or you can cut a few stems and bend them into a container with a glyphosate dilute then let the ivy suck it up itself. The latter works well but you need to keep the container secure and relatively well sealed (lots of gaffa tape would do it).

Edited by richyb on Friday 7th May 13:06

[58warren]

Best solution is to cut through the stems near ground level, but also take a section out (a few inches wide to leave a gap) so that it cannot re-graft itself. Then paint SBK (brushwood killer)or old sump oil onto the exposed cut to poison the roots.

[Simpo Two]

If you've cut through all the stems then it will surely die above them. The ivy uses the wall for support, not nutrition. It's probably growing on stored energy/water but it can't last (though you'll probably get new growth from the base).

[Marf]

58warren said:

Best solution is to cut through the stems near ground level, but also take a section out (a few inches wide to leave a gap) so that it cannot re-graft itself. Then paint SBK (brushwood killer)or old sump oil onto the exposed cut to poison the roots.

A friend who owns his own gardening business did just that to mine about a month ago. Its now dying away nicely

[bimsb6]

set light to it ,but remember to video the entire event for our amusement .

[Wings]

Ivy isn't usually susceptible to pest or disease problems, with many property owners allowing Ivy to cover the poor exteriors of their homes, not realising that vigorous growing Ivy can, and will, cause structural damage to houses and wall surfaces with its aerial roots. It can also damage gutters and paintwork, attack house foundations and smother and kill trees.

If you want to attempt to permanently kill ivy, then you really have a lot of work ahead of you, for it is very difficult to kill just one ivy plant, and that is only possible through continuously and vigorously pruning right back, and treating with the right type of herbicide in late winter conditions. Spraying, painting on to the foliage is not usually successful, since Ivy leaves are quite glossy, so that the herbicides do not cling/stick to the leaves.

Ivy can be worse than a tree to kill, since ivy has more projecting roots, that can grow/hide under, through and over garage, garden walls etc. etc. If you can find the main clump of roots, by digging down and then around the root, then treat the ground/root with oiled fuelled/mixed SBK, also hack into the ivy root/stem and paint on the oily mixed SBK.

If one is not keen on using herbicides, then this alternative of using a based chemical for creating/rotting down vegetation for compost, as per this link appears to be the answer;

http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/189/ammon...

[Simpo Two]

As the powers-that-be successively ban tested pesticides until we are only left with coloured water (for £6.99 in a handy ready-to-use pack from all good garden centres), you can't blame the public for resorting to unlicensed products like sump oil, battery acid etc.

[Four Cofffee]

Had it growing through my walls when I moved in. The trunk was 4 inches thick in places.

I cut it off about 3 inches above the ground, pulled it off the wall, cutting it where it had actualy passed through the wall so I didn't cause any more damage.

Then I drilled 25mm holes in the root to a depth of about 6 inches, filled it with sodium chlorate granules and covered the stump with dirt to stop animals getting at it. 6 months later the stump literally fell apart and I dug it out to a depth of about a foot. Not come back since in 8 years.

[The Student]

Four Cofffee said:

Then I drilled 25mm holes in the root to a depth of about 6 inches, filled it with sodium chlorate granules and covered the stump with dirt to stop animals getting at it. 6 months later the stump literally fell apart and I dug it out to a depth of about a foot. Not come back since in 8 years.

This is the best way for ivy. Drill some holes into it and fill them with either sodium chlorate or neat glysopahte. It takes a good while, but within a year will all be dead. No need to cut it all down if you dont want, its much easier to pull off the wall when dead, but takes a bit longer to die if you leave it up. If you leave it up then drill into the thickest part of the plant, about 6 inches off the ground. No need to go too deep, just make sure there is plenty of chemical in there, you might have to top it up once or twice.