English ivy is a world-class climbing plant, which is one reason gardeners love it so much, for creating lush coverage in gardens with little or no effort.
However, over time, their clingy habit can work its way into cracks and crevices, damaging your structures.
Ivy grows rapidly and requires very little water or light once established. It even grows during winter.
According to the gardening pros at DripWorks, if left unmanaged, a single ivy plant can “grow into large patches that cover many acres of land”.
These plants can creep along the ground or climb nearby trees, walls, rocks, and anything they can set their stems on.
Sharing how to “kill ivy for good”, the experts claim that a kitchen ingredient can do the trick – apple cider vinegar.
If you want an ivy-free garden wall, this is an “effective and natural way” to achieve it.
The experts said: “The combination of apple cider vinegar, salt, and dish soap has been proven to be the best solution to kill ivy.”
To do so, simply mix one gallon of apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon of salt, and one ounce of dish soap.
Now, fill the spray bottle with this solution. It is crucial to wear gardening gloves, long sleeves, and boots.
The apple cider vinegar is what attacks the ivy plant the most and a bottle of it can be picked up from Asda and Morrisons for £1.30.
Spray the solution generously on ivy plants. According to experts, this vinegar-based solution should remain on ivy plants for a “minimum of five days” before checking the progress.
After five to six days, use garden shears and a pruning saw to remove dead ivy that is clinging firmly to the building. If some leaves survive, you should repeat the same process until the English ivy is completely dead.
If you have a large mat of ivy on the ground, “peeling it like a carpet is the best way to remove it”.
If there is a slope, start from the top point and roll it downhill. Ivy creates a tangled mess on the ground by growing over and through everything.
However, if there are branches, sticks, or any trash mixed in ivy plants, peeling them would be impossible. Also, it might prevent you from removing their roots.
So, the first thing you must do is remove all those sticks and other materials. You should work in small patches to remove English ivy because they grow densely.
