Ridding Your Lawn of English Ivy

by Kelly Richardson
All About Lawns Columnist

Removing Ivy from your Lawn

• The Clean and Jerk. This is the most difficult part of the lawn ivy removal process. You must pull your ivy against the grain in order to get the plant by the roots. Simple tearing out the ivy will leave unsightly remnants of the plant and make cutting your lawn more difficult.
• Work in Layers. The key to successfully removing ivy from your lawn is to handle each individual layer. Start with the top layer of twigs and leaves. As you complete each layer, work all the way down to the roots and remove them with a cutting utensil such as pruning shears.
• Plant Trees. Attempting to strip ivy from a steep slope might possibly lead to a serious case of erosion on your lawn. One way to avoid this is to plant trees in the affected area that will choke out the surrounding ivy from your lawn. As you clear a new area, plant a new tree.
• Saving Trees. If a lot of ivy is begging to grow around your trees, you should pull the area free in large circles. This will allow the tree to extend its roots. The ivy will disappear from your lawn once the trees are free and clear to continue their maximum growth.