June 7, 2016  How To Get Rid of English Ivy

English Ivy (hedera helix) is a plant that some may find attractive.  But to me and many other homeowners that I know, English Ivy is a noxious weed that can take over your yard and strangle your trees…if you don’t deal with it.  

It is not generally advised to use herbicides on English Ivy.  Some recommend spraying the plant with vinegar or soapy water.  

But if your yard, or an area of your yard has an infestation of ivy, there is only one surefire way to eradicate it:  you have to pull it out, all of it, from the roots.  

The one exception to this rule is if the ivy has climbed high up into a tree already.  You don’t want to pull down ivy that has grown above your head into a tree, because there could be insect nests or birds nests in it.  The way to remove ivy from a tree is to carefully cut it at approximately waist level or slightly higher, all around the tree.  Be careful to not damage the tree’s bark.  Then pull it out from the ground. The ivy above the cut line will eventually die, and and you can pull it down later.

In the 3 years that I have lived in a house that has copious amounts of English Ivy in the yard, I have learned some strategies for removing it successfully.  Here they are:

-Remove English Ivy in the spring or mid-fall, when the ground is moist, but not frozen.  It is nearly impossible to remove it in the summer when the ground is hard and dry.

-Wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt when removing ivy.

-Pulling ivy is a strenuous task.  You will only want to tackle one small area at a time.  Pull out all the ivy from the roots in that one area.  Wait a few days, come back and pull any sprouts or pieces of vine you may have missed.  Cover with a thick layer of mulch (6-8 inches) to discourage future growth, and move on to the next area.

-If you have thick, well-established English Ivy in multiple beds, and you don’t have time to remove them all in one season, just trim it back as far as you can for neatness.  It’s okay if you can’t get to it all in one season.  There’s always next year.

Over time, through careful removal and trimming, the English Ivy will eventually start to disappear.  Be patient, and you will have good results!

by Karen DeVenaro, See Jane Drill, Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved