How to Safely and Effectively Remove Ivy from Your Property

Understanding Ivy and Why It Can Become a Problem

Ivy is a common sight in many backyards and gardens. Its trailing vines and green leaves can provide nice ground cover or decoration on walls and fences. However, left unchecked, ivy can quickly turn from a friend to a foe.

There are many different types of ivy, but three are most common:

• English ivy (Hedera helix) - Probably the most popular outdoor ivy for gardens and landscaping.
• Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) - Can cause painful itchy rashes on contact.
• Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) - Often used to cover walls with its adhesive tendrils.

The problem with ivy is its fast growth habit. All types of ivy can quickly spread beyond their intended bounds, overtaking flower beds, crawling up house walls, choking trees, and generally creating a big nuisance.

Poison ivy is especially concerning due to its ability to cause allergic reactions. Even dead poison ivy vines can lead to rashes, so handling this plant requires great care.

For these reasons, most property owners eventually need to control or remove unwanted ivy. Doing this properly means understanding the ivy you are dealing with and taking measures to kill it effectively and safely.

Preparing Yourself for Safe Ivy Removal

Before you start any major ivy removal project, it's crucial to equip yourself with protective clothing and tools. This helps ensure the ivy doesn't spread further and that you avoid contact with poison ivy.

Protect Your Skin and Eyes

When working around known poison ivy, you'll want to cover up as much bare skin as possible. Wear long sleeves, pants, socks, shoes or boots, and gloves. Opt for lightweight clothes that breathe in hot weather but don't allow plants to contact your skin. Water-resistant rubber boots and gloves can provide an extra barrier.

Also protect your eyes from accidental exposure by wearing safety goggles, especially when using weed killers. This keeps liquid from splashing into your eyes.

Use Vine Cutting Tools

To safely cut away ivy vines without contacting them, use long-handled loppers, shears, or saws. Telescoping tools allow you to extend your reach to cut high vines without needing a ladder.

Have a trowel or heavy hoe ready too for digging out root systems. A thick garden rake can also help remove cut vines from walls or fences.

Keep a Bottle of Poison Ivy Killer Handy

Having an herbicide containing triclopyr handy allows you to kill any poison ivy roots and stems you expose. Triclopyr causes broadleaf plants like poison ivy to lose vigor and die without harming your grass or other plants. Just spray it carefully on remaining poison ivy traces after cutting away the bulk of the vines.

Methods for Killing Ivy Vines

To gain control over ivy, the first step is killing off the above-ground portions. Cutting vines interrupts growth and food supply to the roots. Follow up with painting cut stumps with herbicide to prevent regrowth. Here are methods for cutting and killing ivy vines.

Hand Pull Ivy Vines

For young or small ivy plants, you may be able to simple grab and pull them out by hand. Wear thick gloves and long sleeves when doing this to avoid contact. Pull slowly to get as much of the root system as possible.

Cut Vines Near the Ground

Use loppers, shears, or a saw to cut ivy vines near ground level. This severs the flow of nutrients to the roots. Cutting vines climbing up trees or walls also causes them to die back.

Apply Herbicide to Stumps

After cutting back ivy vines, there will be stumps left behind. Carefully treat these with a triclopyr-based herbicide using a paint brush or spray bottle. This kills the remaining plant so it doesn't regrow from the roots.

Schedule Follow-Up Cutting

Expect to have to do at least two rounds of cutting on extensive ivy growth. After the initial cutting, some vines will likely regrow from the roots. So schedule a second cutting about a month later to deal with any regrowth.

Getting Rid of Ivy Roots

Removing the above-ground portions is only half the battle. To fully eradicate ivy, you also must kill off the root systems.

Dig Out Roots

After vine cutting, dig around each ivy plant to remove as much of the root system as possible. Use a spade, trowel or hoe to loosen the soil and lift out the white roots. Wear gloves when handling poison ivy roots.

Loosen Soil to Dry Out Roots

Digging around remaining roots and turning the soil helps them dry out, especially in sunny locations. The loose soil also makes it harder for new shoots to emerge.

Apply Herbicide to Remaining Roots

After digging, use a small brush or sprayer to paint any exposed roots with triclopyr herbicide. This will leach down and kill the roots. Be careful not to spray near desired plants.

Solarize the Area

Solarization uses the sun's heat to kill buried roots and seeds. Water the area, lay down clear plastic, and weigh down the edges. The heat under the plastic can slay roots.

Repeat Digging and Herbicide

It may take several rounds of root digging and herbicide to fully kill ivy root systems. So plan on repeating the process over several weeks or months if ivy growth persists.

Removing Ivy From Trees, Fences and Walls

Ivy vines often extensively cover trees, fences, and walls, both clinging to surfaces and attaching with sticky roots. Proper removal techniques help avoid damage.

Cut All Vines at the Base

Start by cutting through each vine at ground level using loppers or shears. Cutting off the lower portions kills the upper parts still clinging to surfaces.

Carefully Detach Aerial Roots

Use a flat pry tool to gently detach the sticky aerial roots clinging to walls and tree trunks. Pulling vines off by force can damage surfaces and living trees.

Clean Remnants Off Surfaces

Use a thick garden rake, putty knife, or pressure washer to remove leftover vine pieces and aerial root traces. Avoid damaging delicate surfaces like wood or tree bark.

Seal Damaged Tree Bark

Where stubborn ivy roots pulled off bark, treat trees with pruning sealer or tree wound dressing. This protects from infection while new bark slowly grows.

Preventing Ivy Regrowth

Eliminating all traces of ivy roots is the only surefire way to prevent regrowth. But you can also make an area less hospitable to germinating ivy seeds.

Apply Pre-Emergent Herbicide

Pre-emergent herbicides create a chemical barrier that stops seeds from sprouting. Applying this where ivy grew previously provides ongoing control of new growth.

Plant Competitive Ground Cover

Plant other ground covers or dense plantings of turf grass to physically block ivy regrowth. Good options include native sedges, creeping phlox, ajuga, or vinca minor.

Keep Areas Well-Maintained

Stay vigilant and promptly remove any new ivy sprouts. Keep planting beds thickly mulched to prevent emergence. Maintain turf grass at 3+ inches tall to outcompete ivy.

Remove Nearby Ivy Stands

Eliminating large nearby sources of ivy helps avoid constant reintroduction of seeds. Ivy can quickly spread from uncontrolled patches nearby.

When to Call for Professional Ivy Control

Extensive ivy infestations on large properties, in natural areas, or near waterways often require professional treatment. Here's when to call in the pros:

• Ivy has gotten into the tree canopy.
• Mature stands extend over 1/4 acre or more.
• You need ivy controlled across a large natural area or slope.
• Ivy removal requires climbing, scaffolding, or tree work.
• Vines are tangled in or damaging valuable trees.
• You don't want poison ivy exposure.

Licensed companies have commercial-grade herbicides, tools for climbing, and protective gear. Their expertise removes ivy efficiently while protecting workers, surfaces, and the environment.

Other Ivy Control Options for Large Areas

Property owners and managers with very extensive ivy have some additional control options.

Rent Goats for Natural Control

Goats naturally eat and kill ivy vines and leaves. Rental goats can clear large, hilly areas unavailable to mowers. The goats also fertilize the land with manure.

Repeated Mowing

For flat ivy infestations, repeated mowing with a brush hog or similar mower can help wear it down over time. But this takes persistence, and ivy can still survive.

Apply High-Strength Herbicides

Commercial applicators have access to concentrated versions of triclopyr and other herbicides. These can provide longer-lasting ivy control but may have greater environmental impact.

Excavate Severely Infested Soil

As a last resort, removing and replacing the top foot of heavily infested soil can eliminate ivy root systems. But this disturbs the area extensively.

Be Patient and Persistent

Ivy develops extensive root systems and plentiful seeds that help it persist despite control efforts. Be prepared to make several cutting or digging passes over weeks or months to fully eradicate it.

But with the right knowledge, tools, and PPE for protection, you can eliminate ivy from your property. Take a systematic, careful approach, and your landscape will soon be ivy-free.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.