On 21/09/2015 12:32 AM, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 20/09/15 14:28, Timothy Murphy wrote:
My wife has cut down an excessively rampant ivy,
and left me to kill the stub and root.
What is the best way to do this?

It's not the best time of the year to deal with ivy. Prepare for a long
battle.

Oh yeah!

If it's coming up where there are no other plants (unlikely)
then use one of the persistent herbicides you can use on paths. These
act on emergent shoots, but in my experience are a bit hit and miss.

Other than that, if the ivy stump has a diameter of a few cm, drill a
few 5mm holes and fill with a strong glyphosate solution. Cover with a
small polythene bag to stop rain washing the solution out. Repeat if the
solution disappears.

Or wait until next spring when the new soft growth appears. Allow a few
leaves to grow, then spray with glyphosate. Wrap in a polythene bag to
keep the rain off. Spray again at least twice over the next few weeks.
You may have to keep doing this to finally kill off the ivy.

I've never found glyphosate alone to be effective. I've combined it
with tree killer and that (usually) works.

I fight a never ending battle with ivy. I clear one section of the
garden only to have to go back and clear a previously cleared section.
Sigh. I'll have to move to a smaller garden before I defeat it.