Adding a surfactant will be a big help. Also, as was told to me, Round-up will not work very well or at all when the ambient temps are over 80 or below 50 degrees F, as the plants shut down their respiration to conserve water in their tissues. April

Thanks April!

Looking back, it was at least 90 during the last application. Don't remember the first, but will be aware from now on.

Probably need to pay more heed to the instructions! :)

Thanks again!! Bill

Glyphosate (Roundup) will work to control English Ivy, and it has been used this way to successfully eradicate this species on hundreds of acres. However, you do need to add a good surfactant/penetrant (not a "sticker") to make this work. Dishwashing liquid will not work as well, instead use a commercial product.

Roundup can be used at any temperature above freezing on English ivy, and will work well. In fact it is most often used in winter months in the Northwest because many native plants are dormant, and the ivy can be oversprayed without harming them.

It took me about 3 years to totally eradicate English Ivy from my former yard in Oregon. I used Round Up and Crossbow (2-4D). The key was persistence. The patch would look dead but after a while the ivy would start growing again. Repeated sprays will keep the foliage under control, and with time the roots will die if there is no foliage to support them. (Same as with blackberries!) Good luck.

Glyphosate fact sheet, just FYI.

http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/actives/glyphosa.htm

I pulled it up from about 800 sq. ft. this spring. It was heavy work, but reasonable. There have been several volunteer "ivy pulls" organized by native plants grous around here to clear various woods.

I have not had much luck with herbicide on english ivy. I'm glad to see it is working for others. I probably need to re-tool how I use the herbicide.
I have had some success with hand pulling and cutting.

I got rid of a bed of English Ivy with glyphosate, mixed at the brush-killer rate and with a small amount of dish detergent added. I don't remember what time of year or air temperature. There was no change for what I recall was several weeks, then the ivy died nearly completely. I did a second application the next spring on a few fresh leaves. I have not seen any re-growth since then.

Yeah, glyphosate doesn't work immediately, no matter what Monsanto says.

Thanks guys!

Now I have a more optimistic outlook on this problem!!

I have had very good luck pulling it out. A little came back, but was easy to pull. A year after starting one area I now see no ivy.

Shelley

I eradicated english ivy from a garden bed by pulling it out and then growing rye grain in the bed from fall until spring. Afterwards, two gals planted a butterfly garden in the area.

Pulling and digging are always the first options to consider. Only then would I go with the Glyphosate or whatever.

It depends on the site. For example on steep areas, pulling and digging can create erosion problems. This potential problem is lessened when using herbicides to control ivy. Mechanical removal can also damage dormant perennials, plants that may be protected when herbicides are used during the winter months.

Beware that English Ivy contains falcarinol that can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive people. My wife got it really bad and the rash looks a lot like poison oak. Hard to believe this little known fact, but its true:
http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/plants/ivy.html
http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/summary/74/3/311
http://www.cookiebabyinc.com/poisonousplants/englishivy.html

just do a google search for "dermatitis english ivy"

I never got the full rash from english ivy but it did cause me some discomfort a few times. I never looked it up but I suspect you wouldn't want to burn it either. I think some animals can get sick from it also so look it up before feeding it to your goats or whatever.

I have a byard with over ten years of overgrowth, no maintenance, basically a jungle that is the top bank of a riparian cooridor. The ivy that was planted twenty years ago at our townhouse complex has broken loose and infested the entire byard, and creeping into the riparian area.

I can't control my neighbors area, so I have taken control of my area personally by weeding out the ivy manually by hand. Then I got some wood chips for free from local tree company and spread about 3inches thick across the cleared area. I am planning to leave as-is for a while to see if the ivy cannot grow back up thru the wooodchips. We'll see what happens.

I used a chainsaw, machete, and roundup. I think that worked.

Am I the only one who thinks ivy has a very pleasant smell? Very earthy. I wonder if it has ever been distilled for it's essential oils.

The ivy can probably grow back through the wood chips if there is any left.