Ivy is pretty when growing in a pot as a houseplant, or climbing up walls or fences. But if it is taking over your lawn and other areas, here are some ideas to contain or remove it.
If you want to contain the ivy in a certain area, insert a weed barrier into the ground. This will keep the roots from spreading beyond that perimeter. Place a row of bricks stacked one or two bricks high, along the outside perimeter of the area. Watch this area, and if any of the ivy grows up an over the bricks, either pull the ivy out of the ground, or cut it back.
Don a pair of gardening gloves and start pulling the creeping ivy out of the ground. This gives you more control over the plant.
Suffocate the creeping ivy by covering the area with a tarp, black plastic, or an old piece of carpeting. Recycle those old newspapers by placing them 5 pages deep over the creeping ivy. When using newspapers, tarps or black plastic, be sure to put weights on them so the wind does not blow them away.
Spray them with two applications of a broadleaf herbicide. Apply the first application late in the autumn and the second application in April or June. Wait until the ivy has bloomed before spraying. Read and follow label directions. If ivy is growing amont other plants, read the label to make sure the herbicide will not harm them. You may want to talk to the local counry extension agent for suggestions.
Spray with creeping ivy with a borax solution. Mix 5 teaspoons borax with 1 quart warm water in a small bottle. If you want a bigger amount, use a fourth cup borax and 5 gallons of warm water. Mix this in a watering can. Pour the solution over the creeping ivy plants. Several applications may be necessary. Do not add more borax than this, because more is not better. Borax contains boron and boron can kill your plants.
Creeping ivy is hard to get rid of. I like these tips and will try the borax one.
select one here...