I have been a schlub before, I know what that feels like. It is always self-inflicted. Yes, temps in the upper 90's after a "more is better" application of Weed B Gon on cool-season turf will not only turn your turf into toast, it will turn you into a schlub. And more is better? Lol...how did that turn out for you? Been there, done that. Anyway, I'm not advising this, but if you want to try it, spot spray the weeds with WBG at the label rate. If you get any on your grass, and you probably will, expect to see the same results from 2 years ago on any grass that gets hit with the herbicide. Maybe you'll get lucky with a timely shot of cooler weather. Do not water for 24 hours after the application if you want it to be fully effective. If possible, apply early in the morning.

I will agree w/ donn on the removing of "weed" grass in your grass bed(s). We have used this method w/ some success but again it is tedious. Get a chemical retardant "rubber" glove, not a synthetic glove, put it on your hand and then put a cotton glove over the rubber glove. Dip the gloved hand in your weed-be-gone, round up, and wipe the designated weed(s) or weed grass w/ the treated gloved hand. This method allows better control of chemical placement w/ no over spray and minimal amount of chemical getting on desired plants. It has worked in our perennial beds when the beds are in their full bloom and weeds get ahead of the bed care taker. Jake

"If they used a high rate you will not be able to replant anything but grass for about 9mo-a year." This is a bit on the pessimistic side :-) The active ingredients in Weed-B-Gon degrade quite rapidly in the soil......anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. To be on the safe side you could wait a month before planting but there is NO need to wait longer than that. As stated above, the herbicide must come into contact with plant foliage to be effective - it has minimal residual effectiveness if applied to the soil.

I use Milorganite in the spring as well, for summer and fall I use the Scott's Turfbuilder product designed for that season. I am by no means a lawn expert though, these are just easy to find, relatively inexpensive products that do the job well enough for me. I'm confident you could kill the ivy (and not your trees) if you have the time and patience. Again I'd suggest trying the Weed B Gon Chickweed Clover & Oxalis concentrate in an Ortho Dial N' Spray hose end sprayer. Just pick a calm day and get down low to avoid spraying the tree trunks and leaves. If the ivy is anything like wild violet it will take a couple of applications but it will work eventually. Then like you mentioned you'll have to rake out the dead ivy and reseed the bare patches. But as others have said, a weed-free (or even weed sparse) lawn is a huge commitment so I don't blame you for hiring it out--if you can find someone to call you back. Last thing I'll say is that no matter how diligent you are about your own lawn, if your neighbors aren't equally diligent you will always have some of their dandelions, clover, ivy, etc. filtering into your lawn. So I've lowered my expectations and live with a semi-weed free lawn after 13+ years at my current house.