English ivy is a tough and troublesome weed. If left alone, it spreads up trees and even onto buildings.
Its powerful vines can penetrate trees and cracks in buildings and can lead to rotting if left untreated.
Fed up with ivy taking over their garden fence and boundary walls, one gardener took to the Gardening UK Facebook page to ask how to “kill” this plant.
David Vallance wrote: “What’s the best thing to kill ivy, need to get rid of in on fence and boundary walls?”
When ivy starts to climb up a fence, it can be a big problem. It is vital to keep it under control by trimming away any sections climbing up the fence or removing the entire plant.
As ivy climbs up a fence, its aerial roots can dig into the wood, causing damage.
If left alone, these roots will grow larger and make their way deeper into the wood. As a result, the wood can eventually rot or decay around the roots.
While some suggested using natural methods such as boiling water, many argued that this would not kill the plants as it “cannot penetrate the roots”.
Instead, the majority of group members insist David needs to cut the branches at the root before digging it up.
Therese Heap said: “Cut at the bottom, let the branches die and then pull off (preferably in September or later due to birds nesting).
“To actually stop it from coming back, dig dig dig, the roots spread and you’ll likely pull up ivy shoots for years, but small shoots are easily managed.”
Sheila Morgan instructed: “Cut it off at the base, pull as much off as you can and the rest will die off. Then you need to dig up the roots. It’s the only way to get rid of this plant forever.”
Vicky Beeson commented: “Cut it at the base, dig out the root and the ivy on the fence will permanently die pretty quickly and never come back.
“Once dead pull it off your fence. It’s less likely to damage the fence if you are able to wait and let it die off.”
Trudy Raven wrote: “I would have never got rid of mine without digging up the roots and I’ve had loads to get rid of. It was a nightmare but now free of it.
Tracey Liddle added: “You gotta chop it at the base, and chop pieces out of the growing part. It will die off eventually but this is the only way to kill it, then pull off all the bits that die off.”
