How to dig up row house front garden of ivy with invasive vines overtaking it

[Anonymous]

Wondering if the entire space needs to be dug up? I am finding it impossible to remove the invasive vines on my own. It is a small space but one gardening company gave me an estimate of $1800. That is far more than I can spend.

[Anonymous]

You can do it. Just don’t try to do it al in one day by yourself! Are you trying to tear everything up?

[Anonymous]

Are the vines kudzu, English ivy or something else. I battled against kudzu for 6 years and ended up moving because I lost. Whatever it is, wear gloves, use good tools, get the entire root and take it one section at a time.

[Anonymous]

You need to do this in sections, over several weeks or months, as your calendar allows, OP. If you're committed, you will win! My friends' back garden was very overtaken with ivy, and they took several years to get to an ivy-free space. They gave themselves plenty of time and got it done. We only had a minor ivy problem, and my husband did a clear-out a few years ago. Now it only takes a little bit of maintenance to keep them from returning.

You can do it!

[Anonymous]

Just be careful b/c sometimes bees nests are underneath.

[Anonymous]

We bought a house with ivy everywhere including climbing up the house to the roofline. And we found a problem with rats in the yard. The pest control company explained that rats love hiding/living in ivy and then there tend to be snakes in it hunting the rats. They warned me against removing it from the house myself as ivy could have critters inside. I promptly hired an amazing company (Halls Landscaping) and they handled it all. They had 4 guys working two full days. 100% worth it. They pulled the ivy up by hand. Now we are ivy and rodent free. Worth it to hire experts ivy is horrible.

[Anonymous]

If you’re not in a rush you can try smothering the area under several layers of cardboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you’re not in a rush you can try smothering the area under several layers of cardboard.

Cardboard is no match for ivy. You could cover it with a tarp and the lack of light will eventually kill it, but even that can take a year.

[Anonymous]

I would cut it all down first. Then, I would begin to dig out the roots. You can’t even see where the roots are if you haven’t trimmed first.

[Anonymous]

Roundup to clear the whole area, but wear appropriate protective gear.

[Anonymous]

Poison ivy has started to sprout, it's that time of the year. PLEASE WEAR LONG GLOVES AND SLEEVES and learn to identify those leaves!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought a house with ivy everywhere including climbing up the house to the roofline. And we found a problem with rats in the yard. The pest control company explained that rats love hiding/living in ivy and then there tend to be snakes in it hunting the rats. They warned me against removing it from the house myself as ivy could have critters inside. I promptly hired an amazing company (Halls Landscaping) and they handled it all. They had 4 guys working two full days. 100% worth it. They pulled the ivy up by hand. Now we are ivy and rodent free. Worth it to hire experts ivy is horrible.

Ivy can wreck a house. Good for you for pulling it down.

[Anonymous]

I’m anti herbicides on home gardens generally, but for certain infestations of invasive species like bamboo, Japanese knotweed, and certain vines. It’s necessary. I’d recommend getting a licensed pesticide handler to apply.

[Anonymous]

Get a plant identifier app and figure out what it is first and then we can help you better

[Anonymous]

I vote for a hybrid approach - tell the gardening service what you can afford and ask what they will do for that amount. That will get you started. Then keep working on your own.

As another poster said, it's a process.