English Ivy Control: From Manual Removal to Chemical Strategies

I accompanied my son's class on an overnight trip to Rock Eagle. One classmate fascinated me: when I stood near him, he was a model of decorum; out of sight, he became a rascal—throwing milk cartons, smashing bottles, starting fights. The child had great potential but an uncontrollable urge for chaos.

I thought of English ivy similarly over Memorial Day weekend. Much of Saturday was spent crouching under hydrangeas, aucubas, and azaleas yanking ivy vines. My neighbor's untended woodland border has allowed ivy to encroach several feet into my landscape, shrouding ferns, trillium, hostas, and azaleas in a dense green quilt.

A Plant of Contradictions

English ivy has such potential! It tolerates all but densest shade, accepts drought, has few pests, and grows in any soil. Why, when I take my eyes off it, must it become a rogue?

English ivy is declared flora non grata in Oregon. Some consider it a pest on par with kudzu. It adds weight to overburdened trees, shades lower branches, and suffocates everything it covers, creating "ivy deserts." Give it an inch and it takes a yard!

PULL IT OUT

Terry Kane in Sandy Springs introduced me to the Ivy Removal Project (www.noivyleague.com) in Portland, Oregon. Over ten years, they've developed specialized techniques like "Make a Lifesaver" and "Roll it Like a Log," tested by real-life experience.

I'm often asked for the best method to attack English ivy. Manually ripping it out is one of my recommended techniques—sweaty and laborious but often the only way when ivy runs close to ornamentals. It's surprisingly fast since a long vine length can come out with a single heave.

CHEMICAL CONTROL

Herbicides like glyphosate and triclopyr will kill English ivy, but the process is slow. Ivy's leathery leaves and frequent roots aid survival. I use chemicals to maintain an ivy-free swath between my azaleas and a neighbor's viney plot, spraying every six weeks or as needed.

For large areas between trees, an initial mowing gives chemical control a good start. Check for hidden stones, stumps, wire, and sinkholes before mowing. When new leaves emerge weeks later, hit them hard with herbicide.

REMOVE FROM TREES

English ivy is not parasitic—it doesn't suck sap. Nonetheless, never allow it to climb a tree unchecked. When I find a vine high in a tree, I use a flat prybar to prize it from the trunk and sever it with loppers. I cut a twelve-inch section at waist height for better view of smaller vines hiding beneath. After cutting, I immediately spray the lower stump with glyphosate to prevent resprouting.

Like my grade-school acquaintance, English ivy is full of potential and contradictions. With proper care it's a champion; with neglect, a rampant pest. Patience, perseverance, and forethought are essential for barely governable kids—and plants.

dead English ivy three months after clipping

English ivy controlled with glyphosate