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Tool to clear dead undergrowth/ivy
Songbird54
Posts: 6
Hi there, I'm sorting out my very overgrown garden after several years of having left it to do its own thing. one of the larger beds is covered in dead twigs and dead ivy, and raking it all by hand seems like it might take forever!
Can anyone recommend how to remove it? I was wondering about an electric rake and then possibly a rotavator before replanting with new plants?
many thanks!
0
Posts
An electric rake is designed for removing thatch from lawns - I think that ivy stems would just clog the tines.
A rotavator is a big heavy thing and far more awkward to use than a fork, and you'd have to go over and remove all the ivy by hand anyway after it had been churned up.
Sorry, I know it's not what you want to hear, but I don't think there's an alternative to digging methodically with a border fork and pulling the roots out by hand - that's how we got rid of ivy from the beds and borders in this garden.
Good luck - it's cheaper than gym membership and it's out there in the fresh air with the birds - at the moment every time we turn a forkful of soil we're joined by a robin who is feeding his hungry family on the grubs and worms we uncover
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.