English Ivy is taking over my yard. How do I eradicate it?

Robin Hamill
by Robin Hamill
How do I kill English Ivy?
  19 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Mar 08, 2016
    Providing there is nothing else around the ivy such as lawn or other flowers, you can use white vinegar in a yard sprayer mixed with water. This method is proven for weeds, however it may not thoroughly do the job with ivy which has a larger root system then most weeds.If there are no other plants around and do not mind using chemicals you may have to use a product by ortho which is called brush begone.
  • From experience- the only thing to eradicate ivy is to pull it out! there are no herbacides that will kill ivy safely without poisoning the earth. Vinegar is not going to work. I have pulled out truckloads of ivy and it is not that hard to do. You will need a sharp shovel, gloves, and a lawn rake. The shovel is to cut the ivy in areas so when you pull you are not pulling for 20 feet. I cut about 4' foot away from the end of the ivy and just keep on cutting and pulling. It took 3 years to completely eradicate an area that I had my house which was over 4 tons of ivy in a 300 sq ft area. I have even gotten paid to pull ivy so look for anyone looking for work. I live in Virginia where ivy is one of the worst invasive plants I have ever tried to eradicate. good luck
  • Joni McEachern Joni McEachern on Mar 09, 2016
    I have been pulling it out for 25 years. I just Can't get rid of it.
  • Kay Kay on Mar 09, 2016
    What I have done in the past is pull out as much as possible. It is a very invasive vine. Depending on where the vine is at cut and pull out as much as possible. Mow over the remainder if possible. Any sign of the vine dig out immediately. Do not use weed killer or vinegar as this is such a invasive vine it will only kill part of the plant. Pulling, digging and mowing it so that no new leaves are able to form is the best bet. Good luck! :-)
  • Angela Hollman Angela Hollman on Mar 09, 2016
    Rent some Goats!
  • Alice Shockley Alice Shockley on Mar 09, 2016
    Pull it. Then pull it again. And again. Unless you want to completely kill your grass and start again after the super-duper weed killer has dissipated, that's about the only thing you can do. Do NOT compost it and don't mow over it with a mulching mower. Practically every little can take root and grow a new plant. Bag your clippings and if possible burn them. On the up side, it's really pretty.
  • Ethel Ethel on Mar 09, 2016
    I used Roundup and pulled up a lot. Still pops up once in a while but I finally won the battle. I spayed a couple of times last year. Hope this helps.
  • UpState UpState on Mar 09, 2016
    Pull/dig it out....or Round-Up. That's the only 2 options.
  • Ray Phillips Ray Phillips on Mar 09, 2016
    As Angela says, rent some goats, they will eat anything.
  • Linda Johnson Linda Johnson on Mar 09, 2016
    Goats or pigs. Both will eat anything - roots and all.
  • Duv310660 Duv310660 on Mar 09, 2016
    Pull it up, and whenever it sprouts, hack it off BELOW THE SOIL LINE with a sharp knife. It will exhaust itself if you keep it away from the sun.
  • Tammy Trish Tammy Trish on Mar 09, 2016
    Skip the chemicals and rent some goats.
  • Mary Wilson Mary Wilson on Mar 09, 2016
    I planted that stuff under my deck, it grew and grew it was starting to go into the basement window, I Just kept pulling it up and it finally died.
  • Rab663545 Rab663545 on Mar 09, 2016
    Round up
  • Debby Whiteside Debby Whiteside on Mar 09, 2016
    We had so much that pulling was out of the question. Our landscaper suggested that we cut down whatever we didn't want in the yard, Place black and white newspaper over the area and wet down, place mulch or top soil over the newspaper. In a month we were able to replant the entire back yard and it was a large yard.
  • Robin Hamill Robin Hamill on Mar 09, 2016
    I think I will try pulling most of it out and then covering the rest with newspaper and mulch.
  • Claire Kavanagh Joseph Claire Kavanagh Joseph on Mar 10, 2016
    Epsom Salt Vinegar and Water...weed killer too