Killing Ivy

[Ken L]

I have ivy growing over a sharred boundary fence and need to kill it.

I can't get to enough of it to make spraying with glyphosphate effective (I've struggled to kill other areas with glyphosphate due to the waxy leaves) and I can't access enough of it to do serious with loppers.

To be honest, I'm sick and tired of removing it from the house and those areas of the boundary that are reachable.

 

In the past, the solution would have been simple and I would have dosed the area with Sodiun Chlorate but in their wisdom, the EU has banned the stuff.

 

Sodium Hydroxide is an option but it's dangerous stuff and I'd rather not maim the neighbours cats if I can help it.

 

Any suggestions?

[wotnobivvy]

Found this via Google

 

What you need is a systemic weedkiller. A systemic weedkiller is absorbed by the plant through the leaves and poisons the entire system, including the roots. For that reason, the more weedkiller you can spray on the leaves, the better, because that means the plant absorbs more poison. In theory it won't poison the soil around the plant, but if you are spraying, some drops of spray could land on other plants that you want to keep, so if in doubt, paint it onto the leaves with a brush.

The only systemic weedkilling chemical licensed for sale to the general public in the UK is glyphosate, which you can find in herbicides such as Roundup.

One tip: the more glyphosate you can paint/spray on the leaves the better - so DON'T chop back the ivy and then spray what's left. It's much more effective to spray the whole overgrown mass, so that more poison can be absorbed by the plant.

[Ken L]

That last bit sums up the problem. I can't access most of the leaf area so glyphosphate doesn't kill the whole plant.

I have just found a guy who says he is selling a Sodium Chlorate based weedkiller and have ordered some.

We will see what turns up and whether I get a knock on the door from Special Branch.

[ayjay]

A few drops of a wetting agent - such as washing up liquid - can help when using Glyphosate on waxy leaves.

 

A *Brushwood killer* (Triclopyr) may be more effective, or either *2 4 D* or *2 4 5 T* if you can still buy them.

 

Liberal applications of common table salt (Sodium Chloride) will kill most plants.

 

 

I like Ivy, great stuff.

[Ken L]

I added a little surfactant the last time I sprayed ivy (on a different fence) and it may have helped. I had the same problem with that one though in that I couldn't get to most of the plant. I ended up just killing off the new leaves on my side and the plant is still going strong - although I've since cut all of it off on my side.

 

Table salt works but you need lots and lots of it for it to be effective. 5kkg on a small parking area worked as a weed suppressor for a while but it doesn't last as long as sodium chlorate.

If the chlorate that I've ordered turns out to be duff, I mitght hit the area around the fenceline with 20kg of so of salt.

[chesters1]

That last bit sums up the problem. I can't access most of the leaf area so glyphosphate doesn't kill the whole plant.

I have just found a guy who says he is selling a Sodium Chlorate based weedkiller and have ordered some.

We will see what turns up and whether I get a knock on the door from Special Branch.

Nasty stuff sodium chlorate it travels so make sure there nothing anywhere near it you want ,as for glyphosphate put a bit in a bottle at Twice the dosage and pull of the leaves of a few stemms of ivy and poke them in it after cutting and bruising the ends ,seal up the bottle and leave it a few weeks and see if it kills it ,better in autumn though

 

Unfortunately all the fun sodium chlorate used to have has long gone as its now fire suppressed

Edited April 5, 2014 by chesters1

[Rusty]

Unfortunately all the fun sodium chlorate used to have has long gone as its now fire suppressed

 

Would that have been through mixing in equal parts of sulphur and carbon? Then filling a lemonade bottle with it? Then filling a drinking straw with the mixture, inserting into the bottle, lighting and legging it?

Edited April 5, 2014 by Rusty

[Ken L]

When we were kids, there were two favorites.

The SC was already loaded with supressants to stop it exploding but mixed with sugar and used to fil a cardboard tube along with a bunch of shotgun primers, it made a fine but very dangerous firework. Better yet was finding an old glass pop bottle, putting about a centimeter of the mixture in the bottom, screwing the top on and sitting it on either some hot ashes or a home made parafin burner - after a couple of minutes, it would light up like the sun and explode with the most enormous bang. You really didn't want to be in range of the shrapnel though!

Edited April 5, 2014 by Ken L

[chesters1]

When we were kids, there were two favorites.

The SC was already loaded with supressants to stop it exploding but mixed with sugar and used to fil a cardboard tube along with a bunch of shotgun primers, it made a fine but very dangerous firework. Better yet was finding an old glass pop bottle, putting about a centimeter of the mixture in the bottom, screwing the top on and sitting it on either some hot ashes or a home made parafin burner - after a couple of minutes, it would light up like the sun and explode with the most enormous bang. You really didn't want to be in range of the shrapnel though!

It was unsuppressed when i was a kid and mixed with potassium permanganate made a great toy.

It used to be dodgy stuff ,use it on your path and a scuff with your blakeys the next day set it off!

Edited April 5, 2014 by chesters1

[Sportsman]

Couldn't you just learn to love it Ken?