How to Manage English Ivy and Other Invasive Plants Killing Your Yard
Keeping your yard healthy is especially difficult when an unexpected plant squeezes resources out of it. Many invasive plants need little or no light, and don’t mind too much sun. They adapt easily, which is why they spread so easily around your yard, moving at such a speed that they are almost impossible to stop.
If you are struggling with killing invasive plants in your yard, here are some ways you can control and stop them, or at least slow them down.
Are invasive plants really a threat?
All plants are living things, and some argue that they should be left to grow as they please. While this is normal for some plant species, invasive species pose a real threat to ecosystems and wildlife. According to the US Forest Service , “[i] invasive species have contributed to the reduction of 42% of endangered and endangered species in the United States, and for 18% of endangered or endangered species, invasive species are the main reason for their decline.” Once these plants take over, they rob other plants of nutrients and reduce biodiversity in the area.
The impact of these plants extends beyond our forests as they produce large quantities of seeds that animals and humans can easily distribute. The likes of English ivy and kudzu can climb into your backyard and devastate your yard and garden. Their roots can also burrow into brick and wood walls, disrupting their structure. (Chances are, your street hut won’t survive them.) English ivy vines also climb trees , creating canopies that block out light.
How to uproot invasive plants in small areas
Strong roots make it difficult to get rid of ivy and other ground cover plants, so the only way to contain them is to remove the roots and stop seed transfer. There are several ways to do this, and none of them is enjoyable, except perhaps the last one.
You can pull out the roots by hand, strangle the plants, use a spray (if you choose this route, natural weed control is recommended), or mow and loot. If all else fails, you can rent goats to eat every inch of this hardy plant.
If you have a smaller area, the easiest way is to pull out the weeds. Make sure you have a shovel and suitable disposal bags, then just use the shovel and trowel to dig up the plant and surrounding land. Remove the soil around the roots and let it fall, leaving the soil loose and plowed; then let the soil dry completely.
Drying out the soil will kill any remaining roots or debris, preventing the ivy from returning. The loose soil is ideal for the growth of new native plants. Plant native plants as soon as possible to revitalize your yard. The nature reserve proposes to start this process in the spring, when the soil is loose and moist.
Mowing and strangling English ivy from large areas
If you need to cover a large area, mowing or strangling yard invaders is less time consuming than hand weeding. When mowing, make sure to cut as low as possible to the ground to dislodge the entire plant. (Weed remover will do the job as well.) Then, carefully spray the area, fold and discard the trash. Leftover leaves, sticks, and clippings will only induce the anger to return.
Strangulation is the slowest option, in which the affected area is covered with thick cardboard and mulch, depriving it of air, water and light. Before attempting to patch up an area, you will want to trim or weed the grass by pulling out as many roots as possible. You then water the soil to remove any air pockets and lay down cardboard to completely cover the ground, plus two inches from the affected area to prevent light from entering.
The Nature Conservatory recommends adding 10 to 15 layers of cardboard and newspaper, wetting between each layer. Then you will leave the land locked up for the next six months. All that remains is to keep an eye on the site, plug up visible holes and check for unwanted sprouts.