Controlling ivy

[William Brown]

My neighbour put in some ivy a few years ago, and it is migrating into my yard. It actually looks nice in a small wooded area I have, and tumbling over a stone wall separating the wooded area from the lawn, but now it is starting into the lawn.

We tried pulling it up, but it has fairly strong roots, and that is obviously only a temporary fix.

I have some Kleenup vegetation killer in my arsenal, but the label on that says applying it to the leaves will kill everything, including the roots, and I'm thinking it might kill everything back into my neighbour's yard, while I would be happy just to control the ivy so it stays out of my grass.

Is there an easy effective way to control this before it gets across my lawn into my garden? I have some other invasive plantings, like bee balm and mint, that I have been able to control with barriers, but this ivy just goes up and over the barrier.

[Tom J]

It will "stunt" it back to the last root, but will not kill any, on just 1 application. I watered well and pulled all I could to get it out of my yard, and it's been a constant battle these past 6 years to keep it in check. It seems the roots live forever.

Tom J who just pulled out at least a doz runners last week

[Sterling]

Don't put it off! It will take over your entire yard in no time! I regularly fight the ivy that invades my wooded backyard all the time. Goes all over. Up the trees. Over the ground. Into the bushes. I cleared this whole area in April 2004 and today it looks like I never touched it.

I have a number of fighting methods. Which method I use depends of how much energy I have at the time... The best way: weedeater down to where you just see the long vines, then pull and cut, pull and cut... Then if you don't KEEP it pulled, you can do this again in about 1 year.

The areas where I have the best control, I just weedeater it into a nice edge. Don't let it get any further.

I have not used the weed killers as where I see that done, it still leaves a mess. A big dead mess.

[Travis]

I used Round-up and pulled all in one season and have pretty much eradicated the ivy, just the occassional leaf or two will poke up.

[Vox Humana]

I can't get it to grow on a slope where I need to control erosion. Life is unfair.

[Frank Logullo]

I have ivy at various spots around the house (Northern DE) and have to cut it where it grows up walls, bushes or trees but have never had problems with it growing into lawn. Matter of fact, I'm finding it difficult to get established on some shaded banks. Don't know what the big deal about ivy is. Frank

[Tom J]

Leave it alone for 6 months and then tell me it's "pretty much eradicated". :-(

Tom J

[Travis]

It has been over a year.