Removing Ivy from trees.
Ivy produces seeds when it climbs, so before clearing ground cover ivy, kill the
ivy growing up trees and garden fences.
Start by cutting the ivy vines around the whole tree trunk about 1ft above the ground. Leave
the ivy above the cut to die in the tree. Ivy leaves can take several weeks to die off. They may stay green for several weeks after cutting.
Clearing ground cover Ivy.
Clear all ivy vines out about two
feet from the base trees. If any of the vines are too thick or difficult to dig or pull out of the ground, (on stony ground it's almost impossible to dig or pull out ivy
roots), treat the cut vine immediately after cutting with a glyphosate based weed-killer, being careful not to spray any plants you want to
keep.
Now the back breaking work, pull or dig up the remaining untreated ivy from the ground. If you have a
large area it makes sense to dig up the plants you want to keep. Then, cut or break off the ivy vines, leaving about a foot of vine with leaves above ground and treat the whole area with
glyphosate.
Glyphosate works best if sprayed onto the freshly cut vine and growing leaves and will take a few
weeks to die off. For small ivy infestations, branded glyphosate based herbicides available off the shelf, are OK, but work out very expensive over large areas. I use undiluted glyphosate
and dilute it with water myself. Always read the instructions.
Removing Ivy from your garden fence.
Ivy is best removed from fencing before it has taken hold, pull it out by the roots or treat it with glyphosate as soon as you see
it.
Once it has forced its vines through and around lap or feather edge fencing panels, it's almost impossible to remove it without
damaging the fence, in fact it's probably holding the fence together.
Try cutting through the vine about 12inches above the ground and treating the freshly cut vine with glyphosate weed-killer, this will
kill the ivy, stopping it from doing more damage to your fence. The bushy ivy will die off, making it easier to see if it can be untangled from the fence.
If the ivy is growing from your neighbours side of the fence, email a copy of this page to them.
Disposing of cut Ivy.
To dispose of the cut ivy the best way is to burn it or it can be left on a ground-sheet in a heap to die off.
Check your contractor is not going to shift your problem to someone else by dumping it in a field somewhere. Small amounts can be tied in a bin bag to rot and then added to your compost heap.
Never add living green ivy to your compost heap.
Eradicating Ivy from your garden.
Generally it is very difficult to kill an entire ivy plant with the first application of herbicide or by digging/pulling ivy roots out. You will almost certainly have to selective spray or
dig now and again over the coming months to eradicate the Ivy pest completely.
Even when you think you have won the battle, a bird will dump an Ivy seed smack bang right in the middle of your garden. A new shoot will appear over your neighbours wall or under the
boundary fence. Keep on top of it.
I don't like using chemicals, but in the case of Ivy I feel its justified, spraying the growing leaves with weed killers containing Glyphosate (it attacks the leaves and the roots)
will kill of the plant. You may need to repeat this. (read the label)
Scroll down for how to remove ivy from brickwork, brick walls and
stone walls
Ivy growing over your home can look good, but if it creeps into chimneys, widow frames, guttering, roof tiles
and under fascias it can be a problem and very difficult and costly to remove especially from a building with two or more stories.
Again, there is not a quick n' easy way to remove Ivy from brickwork or gardens, but these DIY tips may help.
It is quicker and easier to
remove living ivy. It is also easier when damp, the vines are more pliable making
it easier to get your fingers or tools behind the vines.
Pull or lever the ivy away from the wall, starting from the highest growth and working down. If there are several vines growing up the wall, work from one side until you have removed
all the ivy from the brickwork.
The tendrils (ivy feet), the hairy bits that get into the crevices and help the ivy to hold onto the brickwork will be hard to remove. You can pry these off with a putty
knife. Normally these feet will dry up and disappear. If they continue to grow you will need to chemically treat them. I wish there was a "greener way" but I haven't found one
yet.
You will need to be careful when pulling the ivy away and scraping the tendrils from the brickwork as brick and mortar can be chipped off or break away. It may be safer to
cut the ivy away with shears. If the ivy has been growing on the brickwork for years, the evidence that it has been there will take a few years to completely disappear.
If the ivy root is not growing from the foundations, through concrete or your patio, dig the root out. If you can't get to the ivy root, chop the ivy down as close to the root as possible.
Don't add Ivy to your garden compost heap until its completely rotted, tips on rotting ivy and bindweed down can be found on my gardening tips page.
Spray any remaining roots with a Glyphosate based weed
killer. This will need to be carried out every now and then, until the ivy gives up and dies.
If the Ivy roots are growing in a neighbours garden, there's not a lot you can do but keep trimming it back, unless they agree to you removing or treating the roots.
If you are planning to remove ivy yourself from high up hire a cherry picker. If you cant get a cherry picker in make sure you have got someone, who likes you, holding onto the ladder.
Tip from Jamie
Just had cause to read your informative page on getting rid of ivy. We've recently moved into a neglected property where it's ridiculously profuse in the
garden, so thanks for the advice!
Thought I'd send you a note regarding removing the tendrils from masonry, where in the past I've found a blowtorch plus a stiff or wire brush that's
suitable for the surface without causing damage, pretty effective.