Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

I have ground ivy that is growing along the fence line of my backyard that looks like it is spreading to my lawn, slowly. I also have three big trees that shade the fence line where the ivy is growing and it looks like it can spread quickly if I don't do something about it.

I have tried pulling them up and cutting them out. It helps a little but it looks like it's only a temporary fix. I would like to get rid of these ivy! They do look pretty but can grow out of control.

Serenity

Answers:

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

Use Borax, a laundry powder, in a lawn spreader. Boron is a mineral which is safe for people and most plants but not for ground ivy. (05/17/2005)

By Barbaral

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

The Borax will kill the grass as well as the ivy, and will take a while for grass to come back. I ran some water out with Borax in it and that area of yard is dead. Put new seeds in the spot, taking a long time for grass to return.
(08/10/2005)

By Sandy.

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

Get a jug of Roundup and spray it on the leaves. Be careful, though - Roundup will kill anything that it touches. It goes through the leaves to the root. You can get Roundup in a container with a sprayer already attached - very convenient. (08/10/2005)

By Pat Giles

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

I haven't tried this on ivy but have found either straight vinegar or hot salt water to be a good plant killer. I would try these before trying a toxic chemical. Use a generous amount, you may have to do it more than once. You will not be able to plant anything else there for some time. (08/10/2005)

By Ann

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

We have this stuff also and is a real pain as it does spread widely. If you use vinegar, borax, or roundup it will also kill all the grass that is there. We bought Weed-B-Gone Max and it took a few applications but it is gone now. We have a few spots that need to be gone over, but this stuff does work. Make sure it is the Max. (08/10/2005)

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

I have creeping charlie, which is a ground ivy and is very hard to get rid of. I used to have to buy trimec, which was very expensive. Now Weed Be Gone Max contains the ingredient to kill ground ivy. It will take several applications to get rid of it and you will have to spray every year for it. Round up will kill it and everything else, but it leaves a bare spot and the ivy just comes back. (08/11/2005)

By donna

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

I've tried Weed be Gone Mad and just about everything else. Now my lawn is almost dead. Lately, I'm doing the unthinkable and trying to pull it up by hand. It takes a long time but so far it seems to be the most effective technique. (10/13/2005)

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

I tried the Vinegar, salt, and dish soap and nothing happened. Now here is no Mr. Nice, I am getting some harsh weed killer and doing it that way. (03/15/2008)

By CHEFROBERT

Getting Rid of Ground Ivy

I wish I would have never planted ground ivy. It is so invasive. I have given up on chemicals and have come to the conclusion that pulling it up by hand may be the best fix. I have vowed that every day I will go out and pull up at least seven strands of the stuff. It seems to do the best so far of anything I have tried.

I have noticed that it throws down some pretty vigorous roots, so I realize this is only a short-term fix. I would imagine that at some point in time some serious digging is going to be done on some of the root systems. This ground cover needs to be eliminated from all home landscaping catalogs. (11/11/2008)