Somebody brought me a new problem

[Provincial]

I have been fighting English Ivy that is climbing trees on my property. I have been successful using the "hack and squirt" method. This involves cutting a gash in the bark deep enough to expose the cambium layer and dabbing a little herbicide in the exposed pocket. I cut one gash for each half-inch diameter of the stem. I try to spread the gashes out so each is not directly over any other, but sometimes this isn't possible, and I use a "ladder" of gashes, about twice as many as I would if spacing them around the stem.

I use full strength Imazapyr (Polaris AC) and apply it to the gash with a small brush. It takes weeks to kill the plant, but it is "systemic" so it goes down into the roots and kills any part of the plant using that root system. This also kills ground runners connected with the climbing stem.

I have also sprayed English Ivy with Triclopyr (Garlon 4), but I haven't yet perfected getting it to penetrate the waxy surface of the leaves, so effectiveness is spotty. It looks like non-ionic surfactants should do the trick. I am considering spraying Imazapyr using methylated seed oil, but that will be more expensive.

Here is a link to a USDA paper on Spray Adjuvants:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd496999.pdf

It takes patience to defeat English Ivy, but it can be done!

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have been fighting English Ivy that is climbing trees on my property. I have been successful using the "hack and squirt" method. This involves cutting a gash in the bark deep enough to expose the cambium layer and dabbing a little herbicide in the exposed pocket. I cut one gash for each half-inch diameter of the stem. I try to spread the gashes out so each is not directly over any other, but sometimes this isn't possible, and I use a "ladder" of gashes, about twice as many as I would if spacing them around the stem.

I use full strength Imazapyr (Polaris AC) and apply it to the gash with a small brush. It takes weeks to kill the plant, but it is "systemic" so it goes down into the roots and kills any part of the plant using that root system. This also kills ground runners connected with the climbing stem.

I have also sprayed English Ivy with Triclopyr (Garlon 4), but I haven't yet perfected getting it to penetrate the waxy surface of the leaves, so effectiveness is spotty. It looks like non-ionic surfactants should do the trick. I am considering spraying Imazapyr using methylated seed oil, but that will be more expensive.

Here is a link to a USDA paper on Spray Adjuvants:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd496999.pdf

It takes patience to defeat English Ivy, but it can be done!

My old place had ivy with climber trunks 8" thick, killing the trees of course. An axe to take out sections, leave to dessicate and then pull down.

 

[Provincial]

My old place had ivy with climber trunks 8" thick, killing the trees of course. An axe to take out sections, leave to dessicate and then pull down.

I'm too old to work that hard!

 

[gmerkt]

Pretty sure our honey bees were imported about three hundred years ago. Gotta be an invasive species competing with indigenous pollinators. My bees are demanding reparations.

Yes, "commercial" honey bees are not native to North America. Bee suppliers get Italian bees these days.

The seeds from past plants will tend to show up in coming years, so you'll have to deal with them as time moves along.

Okay, I can report this day that I've eliminated all the Spurge Laurel from my land. There may be two or three that I missed but they will be small and will come out as I run across them again.

It must be said that Spurge Laurel as very ugly roots.

I had some nice, largish heather plants left over from my trip to the Everett Parks Dept. plant sale last month. Four of these went in where Spurge Laurel was growing in partial sunlight.

 

[gmerkt]

It takes patience to defeat English Ivy, but it can be done!

Fortunately, I didn't have to deal with English Ivy on trees that was above my head. My battle with the plant has been joined strictly by manual means.