What is this ivy? How do I get rid of it?

It started in a contained (I thought) area around a tree.
Now it's out of the stoned off area, and un-contained. It's into the grass and taking over!

It grows sideways so the lawnmower doesn't do anything. A granular weed and feed doesn't even scare this stuff. It's super hardy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chellim1,

According to “picture this”, it looks like wintercreeper euonymus.

Euonymus fortunei, commonly known as wintercreeper euonymus, is an evergreen shrub native to East Asia. Wintercreeper euonymus is an ornamental plant, often used as a groundcover and climbing plant, due to its ability to grow like a vine. It is regarded as an invasive species in many parts of North America.

quote:

It is regarded as an invasive species in many parts of North America.

Including MY little part of North America!

Hmmm.... this isn't going to be easy...



SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - You may have these plants in your own backyard, but you might now know the harm they are doing to your trees.

Wintercreeper is an aggressive woody vine that is evergreen. While it looks aesthetically pleasing, they are killing off native plant life and harming trees.

The Missouri Department of Conservation, and the James River Basin Partnership are working together to get this invasive species under control before it chokes out native plants, and harms the biodiversity of the Ozarks.

“Winter creeper, they’re a big issue. If we don’t get ahead of it now we’re going to see detrimental effects in the next decade,” Brett Stock, the executive director for the James River Basin Partnership, said.

Wintercreeper are easy to spot this time of year because they are still green. You will find their woody vines entangling trees. If not controlled, they can harm the tree canopies.

“When we choke out the native plants, we lose wildlife benefits, we lose canopy coverage,” Stock said.

Stock said the aggressive growth also harms plants living along river basins.

“They just don’t provide that nutritional benefit,” Stock said.

Winter is the best time to kill these plants, because you will not harm native plant life, if done correctly.

“The herbicide we use will only be taken up by wintercreeper. Because the foliage is still on the plants so we’re not killing some of our non-target species,” Stock said.

Common herbicides, such as Roundup, are effective in killing wintercreeper. First pull out any branches by hand, cleaning the forest floors and pulling off vines from trees. If there are larger vines, use a small hand saw to take it off. Apply herbicide to the new cut immediately after.

“You can do what’s called a stump cut, so you can treat that cut vine with a herbicide application, so you’re painting it on,” Stock said.

Only clear wintercreeper in ideal conditions to avoid harming native greenery.

“So you need to make sure when you’re using herbicides you have ideal conditions. You don’t want wet weather when dealing with herbicides, and you don’t want a windy day,” Stock said.

Do’s and Don’ts when clearing out wintercreeper:

For small areas, pull plants by the roots
Wait until after the last frost to kill wintercreepers. Use a small hand saw to cut the vines
Spray Roundup directly on to the stump
Missouri Department of Conservation says a 20-percent concentration has proven effective for wintercreepers
Avoid spraying non-target species
Do not use herbicides during growing season
Mowing is ineffective against killing wintercreeper
Do not burn wintercreeper

https://www.ky3.com/2021/01/07...-life-in-the-ozarks/

My neighbor has English Ivy along her cyclone fence, that likes to try to invade my side. It laughs at Roundup, but doesn't find Bayer Brush Killer near as funny.

The Bayer will probably kill the grass too, though.

From what I'm reading the only way to truly eradicate it is literally dig it out of the ground. And, if you miss one tiny bit it comes right back.

It seems the only sure way is remove all the soil from the affected area (not certain about depth), discard it, and replace with fresh soil.

Man, and I thought Creeping Charlie was bad. At least I finally found an herbicide that would whack it.

Good luck, man

Try your local farm store, Tractor Supply will probably do. Ask for Crossbow, or the generic equivalent. Apply at maximum labeled rate. It is unlikely but be prepared to have grass die.

Do the spraying instead of mowing, wait a few days then mow. Mowing puts plants into shock and they will not uptake the herbicide.

You’re likely not getting “professional strength” or a heavy labeled rate recommendation. I’ve used drums of Crossbow it works. Before going BSC try it in an out of the way place give it a week to see how it’s working. I never saw a vine it liked, but can’t say I tried it on ornamentals. More of a fence line and ditch guy myself.

Pay TruGreen!!
When we bought the house I had a bunch of nasty stuff like that in my backyard. Front yard was a mess as well. I tried for 2 springs and summers to do it myself.
I had no luck. Finally broke down and paid TruGreen.
Took a year and a half now the yard looks great. All I do it mow. I think I pay like $375 for the treatments all year.
Worth every penny, I was spending close to that on products alone and had no where near the results.

Go to expert free help with the County Agent. They know what works.

Wintercreeper is one of the really nasty ones, along with kudzu, English Ivy, and bamboo. Agressive mechanical removal is probably the most efficient attack, but full strength Roundup sjould prove effective. Of course, you will wipe out pretty much everything else with Roundup (by which I mean straight Glysophate, not the formulations that have co-opted the name), and it may not be easy getting the entire extent of the infestation as its prostrate habit allows it to hide in the area next to where it is obvious.

Roundup and its cousins also require a great deal of care in application, such as not walking on the treated area so as to not leave footprints of dead cover throughout the yard - walk backwards while spraying, and step only where it is dry.

All you have to do is ask…

I’ll send them over:



They’ve stripped our ornamental ivy bare, despite the fact every local nursery told us deer don’t eat ivy, and tore apart our planted last year ornamental Japanese Maple (see the “stick”).

Seriously though I wish you the best of luck as I’ve also heard it’s tough to get rid of.

Move to a different state.

I'd definitely try Crossbow before going to glyphosphate (will kill any lawn it touches)

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
Try your local farm store, Tractor Supply will probably do. Ask for Crossbow, or the generic equivalent. Apply at maximum labeled rate. It is unlikely but be prepared to have grass die.

Do the spraying instead of mowing, wait a few days then mow. Mowing puts plants into shock and they will not uptake the herbicide.

You’re likely not getting “professional strength” or a heavy labeled rate recommendation. I’ve used drums of Crossbow it works. Before going BSC try it in an out of the way place give it a week to see how it’s working. I never saw a vine it liked, but can’t say I tried it on ornamentals. More of a fence line and ditch guy myself.

Crossbow is a mixture of 34.4% 2,4-D and 16.5% triclopyr. It's listed to kill poison ivy, and suppress similar creepers (Virginia Creeper and trumpet creeper).

EDIT: Decided to click a link in the OP's article and it lead to the MO Detp of Cons which recommends:

cut vines by hand and spray each cut stem with 25 percent glyphosate or triclopyr solution. Cut stump treatment is best applied after the last killing frost and prior to spring wildflower emergence to prevent harm to non-target species. Cutting without the application of herbicides is generally not recommended because this will lead to root sprouting.

Foliar spraying with a 2 to 5 percent solution of glyphosate or triclopyr with surfactant (I like Bonide Turbo) is an alternative control measure in areas with extensive growth.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Goats?

quote:

Originally posted by h2oys:
All you have to do is ask…
I’ll send them over:

Thanks! The deer like my Mom's flowers, especially the one's in hanging planters where they don't even have to bend over. They think it's a salad bar.
But they won't eat this crap.

There's a couple services around here that rent goats. You pay they service. They come over and temporarily fence the area. The goats eat everything. Couple days later they come scoop up the goats and take down the fence.

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
Try your local farm store, Tractor Supply will probably do. Ask for Crossbow, or the generic equivalent. Apply at maximum labeled rate. It is unlikely but be prepared to have grass die.

I'm trying this. Crossbow is not legal to sell or ship to Missouri, but I was able to buy it in Illinois.

It may take several seasons to get it all...

Foliar herbicide spray

Wintercreeper leaves can be sprayed with a triclopyr solution (sold as Garlon 3a, Triclopyr 3, and many other trade names) which is generally more effective than glyphosate at foliar treatment of wintercreeper.
Refer to the product label for the dilution rate to use for foliar treatment; the recommended dilution rate
is 3% (if you are using a full strength product like Triclopyr 3). Because of the waxy leaf cuticle, it is
recommended to add 0.5% non-ionic surfactant and 1% methylated seed oil (or bean oil) to help the
herbicide penetrate the leaf.
Spray on days when the high temperature exceeds 40 degrees F, winds are less than 5 mph, and leaves
are dry. Spraying in late fall (mid-October to late November) or early spring (February to mid-March)
when native plants are still dormant will minimize non-target damage. Spraying during times of drought
may decrease the uptake of chemical and reduce effectiveness, and in sandy soils tree species can be
affected.
Because wintercreeper can have multiple layers of leaves, the first foliar spray may not reach all of the
leaves. One option is to use a weed whacker to cut the top layer of leaves off and expose the bottom
layer, then spray that layer. A second option is to do another foliar spray a month or two after the initial
treatment, once the top layer has died and exposed the bottom layer. The treated area should be checked
for resprouts in the next two growing seasons and the spraying repeated until the infestation is gone.

https://sustain.iu.edu/images/...ed-Control-Info-.pdf

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I'd definitely try Crossbow before going to glyphosphate (will kill any lawn it touches)

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
Try your local farm store, Tractor Supply will probably do. Ask for Crossbow, or the generic equivalent. Apply at maximum labeled rate. It is unlikely but be prepared to have grass die.

Do the spraying instead of mowing, wait a few days then mow. Mowing puts plants into shock and they will not uptake the herbicide.

You’re likely not getting “professional strength” or a heavy labeled rate recommendation. I’ve used drums of Crossbow it works. Before going BSC try it in an out of the way place give it a week to see how it’s working. I never saw a vine it liked, but can’t say I tried it on ornamentals. More of a fence line and ditch guy myself.

Crossbow is a mixture of 34.4% 2,4-D and 16.5% triclopyr. It's listed to kill poison ivy, and suppress similar creepers (Virginia Creeper and trumpet creeper).

EDIT: Decided to click a link in the OP's article and it lead to the MO Detp of Cons which recommends:

cut vines by hand and spray each cut stem with 25 percent glyphosate or triclopyr solution. Cut stump treatment is best applied after the last killing frost and prior to spring wildflower emergence to prevent harm to non-target species. Cutting without the application of herbicides is generally not recommended because this will lead to root sprouting.

Foliar spraying with a 2 to 5 percent solution of glyphosate or triclopyr with surfactant (I like Bonide Turbo) is an alternative control measure in areas with extensive growth.

These guys are steering you to the solution. Triclopyr is the answer. It is sold as Crossbow, but you can also find it marketed as Remedy. This is very concentrated, so it’s a lifetime supply for most people.
Remedy Herbicide 1 gal

If you mix it with diesel as a surfactant, it will kill ivy right now. I’d try mixing with water at first when using in the lawn. You may be able to treat it at the vine by painting it on. Be careful, it will kill at tree DRT, so don’t get any on a tree you don’t want dead. When used properly, it won’t kill the lawn.

Here is a good deal.

https://diypestcontrol.com/alligare-triclopyr

Alligare Triclopyr 4 - 1 Gallon $72.91

quote:

Here is a good deal.

Thanks for that. I did buy the Crossbow.
We'll see how it works.