skip to main content

How to Get Rid of Thick Ivy Groundcover?

18 years ago

Have recently moved into a new house and want to put a raised bed for a vegetable garden next year in a sunny area that is covered by ivy at present. This stuff is well-established and very thick. Frankly it looks good and serves its purpose, but my priority is a vegetable garden. Is there any way to get rid of the ivy it by smothering it, or using a weed killer, or is the only solution to pull all the tendrils from the ground and rototill the area? Even then, there's risk that I won't get it all, and it could keep reappear. Any advice to begin prepping the area now, and steps to follow between now and Spring?

Featured Answer

rizzir

18 years ago

Personally I'm very fond of black 4-mil plastic sheeting laid in the summer after a deep watering. The temp under there will get so hot it will literally steam the plants dead. And it will sprout, then kill, seeds left in the soil. This works less effectively in shade, but left on long enough, it will still kill.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

creatrix
18 years ago
Pull up all you can, mow or weed whack the rest and Round-up any new growth. Ivy has thick coated leaves, and Round-up works best on the tender new growth. There are ivy killers out there also, I haven't tried them.

Water the area before you use the herbicide, allow the leaves to dry. This will get it growing, and it will absorb the herbicide better. Also, most herbicids don't work in temps over 85 or so, or they take longer to work. Plants don't metabolize much at higher temps.

I'm sure you know to apply any herbicide on a calm day to avoid it drifting onto plants that you want to keep.
0
scott_h
18 years ago
You should check these folks out. They have a page on control methods that is very good.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: No ivy
0
Related Discussions
How to get rid of English ivy
Q
Comments (3)
Digging it up is the only way I know besides poisons. You'll get it if you keep working at it. I wouldn't put it in an open pile without killing it first, which I would definitely do. You're going to earn that organic matter, it might as well be put to work. You could kill it in a plastic bin or bucket like a trash can, a trash bag, or even laying exposed on concrete or sheet metal to bake in the sun. After a point, it will definitely be dead, then you could put it in the compost to finish decomposing. It's not flowering and producing seeds is it? About the tiny roots, if you are able to smother the area with cardboard or newspaper after you are finished digging and leave that alone next summer, you should be able to be sure that any ivy that attempted to keep growing was smothered under that layer. Cover with mulch or leaves so it's not an eyesore and stays in place. Maybe set some potted plants there next summer. Then you are free to garden the area at will after that. If that's impractical, it should be fairly easy, assuming you've done a thorough job of removing the bulk of the roots, to spot-dig little pieces you might have missed that throw up new sprouts. They might be so loose you don't even need to dig, just pull. You'd want to check it often next spring.
...See More
how do I get rid of ivy?
Q
Comments (5)
Same as kayjones with me. I had boston Ivy on my house for 21 years, re-stained my house and realized I didn't like the vine. I then spent a week digging it up, and the root system is way too long. in the 21 years it was there, believe it or not, the same summer it grew through my foundation and in the groove of the step in my living room, there was the vine. IT WAS GROWING IN MY HOUSE. So then I just dug up more of it, and realized that it was the same vine that was growing across my lawn and into the woods more than 50 feet away. I guess the best way is to dig up and cut. Maybe use round up or some other form of total vegitation killer, but it may not be gone from the ground my the time growing season starts for you.
...See More
Best way to get rid of groundcover vines?
Q
Comments (2)
The linked GW thread describes one successful approach of which a number of variations have been posted. One I like puts the end of the cut vines into floral tubes of concentrated Roundup. This didn't totally eliminate the campsis radicans from our badly infested beds, but knocked them back enough so that we could keep ahead of the weak survivors and soil-banked seedlings by hand a few times a year after replanting with other things. Each year they become less of a problem... but it is year 3 of what's looking like a 4 or 5 year journey. Here is a link that might be useful: GW: Advise please on how to KILL a vine This post was edited by bostedo on Fri, Apr 18, 14 at 13:35
...See More
how to get rid of ivy groundcover
Q
Comments (6)
Ivy is my nemisis! My neighbor has it and it comes through the cyclone fence and the hedge into my azaleas and into everything else. I've tried to put branches from my Christmas tree down around the azaleas for pine food and hopefully to stop the ivy, but it grows over and under. A clerk at Redentas suggested 20& vinegar one year. Said it would burn the leaves it touched, but not kill the plant my neighbor really likes. I didn't quite believe it, but it might be something to look into to get rid of yours. I do use it on the St. Augustine that grows up through my flagstone and it makes short order of it. I don't know how long it lasts. I have a mattock, and don't mind using it. But I've pulled and dug it up in my yard, it just comes back every year. I think it's the only plant I can toss with no regrets. BTW, It's winning this year....
...See More
eibren
18 years ago
If you don't want to use herbicides on an area you will be using for food, smothering would probably work well in the short term. You could put some organism-rich compost right over it, then spread newspaper over it, then all of your fall leaves, and then soil on top; if you make it about a foot thick it would probably decompose.

How long do you plan to use the area as a vegetable garden? Is there a chance you might want it to revert to ivy at some point?
0
tonym
Original Author
18 years ago
Creatrix, Scott H, and Eibren,
Thanks for the tips and good advice. Gives me a plan to work this through the Fall and have it ready for Spring. Appears to be less daunting than I initially thought.

I'll be using this new area for vegetables permanently, and have no intent to revert to ivy as a ground cover, as best I can predict.
0
Ina Plassa_travis
18 years ago
:) a flame weeder will give you a good head start on killing it- though that black solar oven method that Rizz describes is the perfect backup method (some people shouldn't play with fire. my father is one of them)

you don't have to burn the plants up, just cook them so they wilt. the residual chemicals are minor (it's not like you're spreading lighter fluid on the ground)

lee valley hardware sells both the small kind (takes a little propane tank) and the big one that runs off a big old BBQ tank.
0
luvmegrands_centurylink_net
13 years ago
How about the ivy that has crept under the foundation and now under the house???
0

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Natural Ways to Get Rid of Weeds in Your Garden

By Abundant City

Use these techniques to help prevent the spread of weeds and to learn about your soil

GROUND COVERS Native Alternatives to English Ivy, Japanese Pachysandra and Periwinkle

By Curtis Adams

These shade-loving ground covers are good for the environment and say something about where you are

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Get Along With Less Lawn — Ideas to Save Water and Effort

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Ditch the mower and lower your water bill while creating a feast for the eyes with diverse plantings and gathering places

GARDENING GUIDES How to Get Your Prairie On

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Have a field day with your landscape, even if you've got just a few modern containers on a paved path

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Native Ground Covers for Tough, Dry Spots

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Sun beating down on your sandy gravel? Thick shade darkening your clay soil? There’s a ground cover here for you

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 7 Low-Maintenance Lawn Alternatives

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Turf isn't the only ground cover in town. Get a lush no-grass lawn with clover, moss and other easy-care plants

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Grow a Lush Privacy Screen

By Christine Tusher

No need to wait forever for patio privacy the green way. These 10 ideas will get your screening up and running in no time

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Design a Great Garden on a Sloped Lot

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Get a designer's tips for turning a hillside yard into the beautiful garden you’ve been dreaming of

GARDENING GUIDES 15 Ideas to Try in Your Garden This Year

By Annie Thornton

These gardening stories were tops among Houzz readers. Which ideas might you try this year?

GROUND COVERS Ground Force: 10 Top Ground Covers for Your Garden

By Carol Bucknell Garden Design

Protect your soil from weeds and drought this summer with a living mulch of ground covers

Sponsored

More Discussions

Replacement for creeping honeysuckle

13

Geranium Ground Cover

2