My poor old husband has been digging up some Ivy on an embankment for a few hours now. He can’t get it out. Any suggestions what to use that doesn’t poison the soil? We want to plant natives in there as soon as possible.
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sorry, I am unable to help
Peter
The easiest method is to cut the ivy at the thickest stems close to the soil & then paint the stumps with neat arboricide, probably Roundup made by the dreaded Monsanto. But this method involves making the compromises of putting some poison into the soil & adding to Monsanto's profits.
Could you call on a local environmental group to lend a hand?
If you do use roundup add some dishwashing detergent (as ivy has a waxy coating) and dab it on the freshly cut stem - that should work over time and have minimal impact on the soil! This is similar to what we are doing at the Tootgarook Swamp for blackberries ie cut down to the crown and dab the cut with glyphosate (at least I think it is that but it may be another herbicide) - it has to be the right dilution as if it is too concentrated the plant cannot take it up as it is too thick for absorption.
Alison
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"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
I'm told boiling water on the stump and roots are effective.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Qyn, does the waxy coating extend to the stump cross section?
Woko, you are right it probably is not (as) waxy at the root cross section as on the leaves and stem but it still won't hurt as it will cause the herbicide to stick to the cut area - even a soil wetter will work for the reduction in surface tension which should allow penetration and wetting into the stem similar to how it works on the soil.
ETA: even though I say stem I mean root cross section as a component of the stem
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
We use Brush-Off (DuPont)on Blackberries, it works on woody type plants, but won't kill grass. Quite expensive - @ $35 for 7 grams, but goes along way. Need to be careful near watercourses, and also need to use a wetting agent. Mix small qty, say a 1 liter spray bottle, and you can target individual plants, or mix a larger qty for more coverage (you can use a helicopter for broad acreage cover). Product info link below
http://www2.dupont.com/Crop_Protection/en_AU/assets/downloads/Labels/Label_BrushOff_13.pdf
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
The wetting agent to allow easier penetration of the herb/arboricide seems a useful idea, Qyn. Thanks.
Dale the method of application we use is by an applicator similar to the old bottles of instant shoe polish with a sponge on the end. I think they were actually bought from a supplier in Tassie. The product you mentioned reads to be quite potent.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
Alison, it certainly is very potent hence the small spray bottle for specific plants, it penetrates the leaves and works down to the roots, so the plant will only regenerate if you miss a root (by missing the head of the plant) or there is seed in the ground. Problem with blackberries, is they will re seed every fruit season, unless the plant is killed prior to birds eating the fruit, but again, you have no control over plants many kilometres away, seed spread in bird droppings. We keep a vigilant eye out, and are now at the stage where I can dig rogue plants out by the root, and have not sprayed for 2 years. Although this year I will have to attack the gorse. Had heaps when we moved in 3 years ago, gradually sprayed, the dug out, but is starting to germinate again.
Research shows that Gorse can remain dormant in the soil for up to 25 years, and only needs an action (such as cultivating) to take off. One thing with pesticide control, is to ensure any machinery that enters your land has been properly decontaminated from previous jobs (excavators, dozers, tractors, harvest equipment etc.)
Edit: if you use red food colouring in your spray, you can see which plants you have done, and which you have missed. Worth a few dollars for food dye, when compared to cost of spray.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Also Alison, I like your idea of the sponge applicator, ideal for small areas, maybe not so practical with something like Ivy, which would be difficult to get good cover on all leaves, and can cover a large area. The thing I also like with Brush-Off is that it won't kill surrounding grass, which makes it ideal for rogue plants, say in a paddock.
Not pushing product, just throwing ideas out there, still up to the individual to research and see what is best for their situation.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
M-L
To minimise damage to the native grass/sedge, get a number of good-sized boards & progressively place these around the native plant between the plant & the ivy. This would involve grabbing as many fronds of the native grass/sedge as possible & holding them back so that a board can be place between ivy & the fronds. Progressively spray the ivy adjacent to each board with herbicide so that the board protects the native plant from off-target herbicide damage.
Bush care is so often painstaking work & demonstrates the huge costs involved when we allow invasive plants into our country.
Thanks Dale, we do use a red dye and it works well.
Best wishes M-L, your husband has made an excellent start on irradicating the ivy scourge!
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."