Removing Ivy .

[patsyann]

Our garden was overrun with Ivy .I have cleared masses of it but am left with roots in the ground that are already sprouting again . I want to kill the roots but gave been told that if I soak the ground with root killer it will kill my shrubs and trees nearby .Is there anything safe I can use . All suggestions gratefully accepted

[spathiphyllum]

Dig the roots out, they should be rather thick if they’re established enough to take over the garden. Simply dig them out.

[Old_Geezer]

I decided it was too much trouble to try to dig massive deep roots out. I just treat with weedkiller or chop off any ivy with the nerve to put it's head above the soil.

[vulcan42]

I recently removed a lot of ivy and to remove the little suckers attacked to the pebble dash, I bought a gas blow torch. It was very effective and have since discovered it zaps any ivy regrowth as well as destroying weeds.

[patsyann]

Thank you vulcan42 will,give it a try with our weed burner .every new shoot will be zapped

[spathiphyllum]

If you cant be bothered to dig out the roots or get someone else to then you will have the problem for the foreseeable future. Fire won't work as you hope. I find ivy is a lot like brambles.. Best to just get the whole root out. They cluster when they get to an extent to take over the whole garden making them easier to dig out.

[TonyV]

I would use a systemic weed killer that you can paint on the leaves, so will not affect your nearby plants.

[Chipchopper]

What you were told was right Patsyann.

Weed killer will just run off those waxy leaves and kill off the desired plants.
If its on a paved area, skim it off with a shovel, spade or hoe, on grass, mow or strim it. Do this regularly and it will gradually give up the fight.
On vertical surfaces, cut through the stems and pull them up or down.
It can be a dirty job, so wear gloves and eye protection.

[woofgang]

I have used a gel formulation of weedkiller with great success on ivy because it does stick to the leaves. Remove as much as you can them when it shoots, treat the shoots and be patient. If you pull the "dead" bits up too soon the weedkiller won't have travelled through the roots. I wouldn't use it where pets or children can get at it as it takes ages to dry though. Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[Old_Geezer]

Digging mine out would require an industrial digger over the whole of the garden. It's years of maintenance until the ivy gives up from lack of sunlight, or nothing.

[vulcan42]

Spath, why do you say fire won't work? I've been using it for a couple of years and the garden is weed free and the Ivy non existent apart from a low stump.

[spathiphyllum]

In my experience I've not been able to eradicate Ivy and Brambles with a weed burner

The only thing that has ever worked for me is removing the root (source) of the plant.

You can't burn the roots as they're underground and ivy can become established rather quickly, once it does, the roots become big and relentless. It also runs far.

If fire has worked for you Vulcan then I would urge the OP to try it. But it's not worked for me in the past.

[Chipchopper]

Ivy thrives in deep shade, so if the area can be opened up to allow more light in, this may also help.