On 28/02/17 01:17, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Have taken over property that has about 60 yards of 45 degree banking
covered in ivy, which is fine as ground cover goes, but it has been
left to run riot for several years, pushed over and grown through
boundary chainlink fence at top of bank.

Also currently have `evergreen` mountain ash and silver birch on the
banking because the ivy has climbed up it uncontrolled for , er, some
time.

Have cut through vines at base of trees but would like to arrest the
spread across an old roadway where it appears to be a mature covering
a few inches deep.

Guess there is no alternative but manual removal in large, but what
chemical attack might start the process off or at least deter
continued spread?

Thanks!

Repeated glyphosate will eventually kill it. You may have to spray 4 or
5 times (it won't be cheap to spray that area). You might like to see
what comes up this spring before you spray, as the glyphosate will kill
just about anything it comes across.

You have probably saved the trees by cutting through the vines, but it
may still leave them disfigured. Also, it is quite possible that they
will be susceptible to strong winds without the ivy to support them, and
the ivy left will add wind resistance - a sort of "lose-lose" situation,
unfortunately.

I would also be concerned about the stability of the bank with the ivy
dead. What will stop erosion when the ivy has gone?

--

Jeff