How to Kill English Ivy ?

[woodchux]

Does anyone know of a spray or injection that will kill english ivy without harming the tree that its growing on? Thanks-

 

[Sprig]

Not much that may affect the tree or surrounding area. There has been a project going on for a while (years) in Stanley Park (Van. BC.) to help eradicate this choking pest, basically ya have ta yank out the roots, so, in that light, I'd rope it up near the base (s) and yard 'em out with truck, come-along, what-have-you. I do not like them, another stupid 'bring a bit 'o' home here.' (like broom or monster daisies, etc. etc.), GAH! *******!)



Serge

 

[RedlineIt]

Sorry Woodchux, no magic spray known here, and the roots are often just too involved with the "host" for a heavy killer like roundup, but then I'm no spray tech.

However, I DO have a strategy! After several laborious attempts at stripping live, green English Ivy, I gave that nonsense up. No one has enough money to cover the hours and hours that takes. We're talking trees that have English Ivy going fourty, fifty feet up, stalks the size of your forearm.

What you have to do is set up the ivy removal as a two visit job. First visit, cut the stalks at the ground level, then again three or four feet up the trunk and sever it vertically in sections to clear off the flare. This to make sure you get all interconnecting stalks all cleared off at the base. If it is massively thick and green, climb the tree with your hedge shears and take off everything your shears will handle. Top handle saw will do the job, but nice long shears are much faster. Don't get crazy, I've never seen it happen but I imagine a sharp set of shears could sever or badly damage a loaded climbing line.

Step two is wait a minimum two weeks, a month is much better. The customer has to have faith in you here...

Finally, now that this Ivy is getting dry and brittle the fun begins! Get your rope in well above the Ivy and peel and trim it off the trunk and branches by hand until you get mats of it folding away, don't cut the mats off! Get back above the mats and just start STOMPIN!

Do it right and the nasty, intertwined nature of the Ivy starts to help you. Insert you handsaw just here and there to get the mat folding away around branches, but mostly just go nuts stomping and peeling huge sheets of Ivy off with your feet.

I used to hate English Ivy removals, now I (almost) look forward to the chance to just go ape while dangling from my rope.

Somebody will probably chime in with a good chemical killer for Ivy, so much the better. But, you still have to get the strangulation off the tree, so I hope you enjoy my method as much as I do.



RedlineIt

 

[Stumper]

Trichlopyr will do a fine job killing it but you need to keep it off the trees that you don't want to harm. Cut it a bit above the ground, strip the Ivy away from the tree and apply the herbicide to the cut ends and the bark of the Ivy.

 

[Bermie]

Whoohoo...sounds like fun RedlineIt!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Trichlopyr will do a fine job killing it but you need to keep it off the trees that you don't want to harm. Cut it a bit above the ground, strip the Ivy away from the tree and apply the herbicide to the cut ends and the bark of the Ivy.

If threating a large area where pulling is not an option, then "frill painting" is the next best method. Damage the stem of the vine and paint and herbicide/oil mix on. If stem of "host" plant is thinbarked, then putting a cardboard backer between while painting can help.

I prefer to leave the vines in the tree if they overtop the canopy, you risk braking branches pulling and the vines fall apart rather quickly when dead.

For most plants, chemical controls that translocate to roots work best with fall. WDNR studies I read several years ago on buckthorn and Tarterian honeysuckle had 10% or greater kill rates with fall applications.