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Ivy invading Evergreen Shrub

Hi,

I have a evergreen shrub growing in the garden which seems to be doing ok, however, there is Ivy invading the shrub,  its growing inside and on the outside of the shrub. Apart from cutting all the ivy out i cannot get to the ivy roots without doing any damage to the shrub. I have read that painting White Vinegar on the leaves should kill off the ivy, i tried this method but it has not worked. The Ivy seems to still growingimage  I would appreciate some help and advice on killing off  the ivy once and for all.image....Thank you..x

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    If you keep taking the leaves off it won't last long. Plants can't live without leaves



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698

    Are you positive you can't get your arm inside to cut the ivy stem off at the base? I'm always skeptical when people start talking about using vinegar as a weedkiller etc and would rather use glyphosate which actually works, but in this case I'd just cut the thing at the base.

    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • pennymaxpennymax Posts: 56

    Hi,  nutcutlet and WillDB,  Thank you  both for your help and advice.  I will cut the Ivy down to the base and with a little perseverance that will be the end of ivy problem.  Thanks again.

  • michaelw1michaelw1 Posts: 34

    We had a similar issue, it's awkward but we managed to get under and cut the main stem.

    If you can get any room, it's worth cutting it a foot or so above the ground to give you some leverage to pull the tap root out. Ours was about 2ft deep and needed some good forking to loosen up. Otherwise maybe drill a hole into the stump and pour some concentrated stump killer into it? 

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    No. I wouldn't try that if it is next to a valued shrub. 

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • pennymaxpennymax Posts: 56

    Hi michaelw1 and hogweed,

     Thank you for your advice.  I am a little reluctant to use any chemicals  as i don't want to cause any  possible damage to the shrub so i chose to cut the ivy down at the base,  once cut i was surprised at the amount of ivy that had been growing in and around the shrub. All gone now but i will be watching for any possible new growth image.  Thanks again...x 

  • Dave HedgehogDave Hedgehog Posts: 377

    You could apply a stump killer compound with a paint brush onto freshly cut wood. As long as you're careful, there's little chance you'll kill your shrub off.

    Ivy will keep coming back for a long time as there will be lots of energy stored in the substantial root system. If you keep cutting growth off when it reappears, it'll give up eventually but be prepared for a war of attrition.

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