Greenhouse problem

[abax]

I'm doing some renovation in my 12 year old greenhouse and am bumfuzzled about what to do with English Ivy (Hedera helix) roots growing into the gh through the foundation. Don't ask how...I donno how! I can't
spray RoundUp outside because I have thousands of dollars worth of named
daylilies and Narcissi. Also with RU, the leaves have to be sprayed to kill
the plant. I've tried pulling and yanking, but it doesn't work for long and
the roots are back again. I'd appreciate suggestions about some kind of
chemical to use on the roots that won't harm my orchids. I've thought of
using my propane torch to burn the roots out, but it's just too wet and humid in there to work. At this point, I'd consider any relatively sane
idea...please.

 

[ehanes7612]

with plants like this in general.you have to cut the vegetative parts every chance you get to starve the starch stores in their roots..it may take awhile..this is how municipalities deal with problem weeds

 

[gonewild]

Your best bet is to develop a fondness for ivy. oke:

You'll never pull it out and burning would only slow it down anyway.
Maybe electro shock therapy? (for the ivy not you)

 

[TyroneGenade]

Spray RoundUp on the roots?

RoundUp breaks down very fast, perhaps you could temporarily move the daylillies etc... for a few weeks and spray the ivy dead.

 

[fibre]

RoundUp is to spray on the leaves! The Hedera helix leaves will absorb the herbizid and transmit it to the roots. This way it kills the entire plant. You may repeat this treatment two or three times. If you don't wet the leaves of your daylilies and Narcissi, they will stay safe and sound. So best is to use a kind of splash guard (I don't know the correct term).

 

[Ray]

You can always dip a paint brush in the roundup solution and apply it that way. I have used it on oxalis and ferns growing in my orchid pots, by applying it carefully with a Q-tip cotton swab.

 

[likespaphs]

You can always dip a paint brush in the roundup solution and apply it that way. I have used it on oxalis and ferns growing in my orchid pots, by applying it carefully with a Q-tip cotton swab.

that's what i wuz gonna say....

 

[cnycharles]

you might be able to use a portable spray tank (though the painting idea is safest) if you only barely pump it up, so the chemical only barely comes out and you use an adjustable tip so that it is on the most coarse, and not very fine setting. fine mist will float but coarse droplets will have less chance of traveling to your other plants.

there are also sprayable contact herbicides that kill all of the leaves they touch, but aren't systemic like roundup. if you spray your ivy repeatedly then that would be like pulling them up repeatedly, which after a while may kill them. contact herbicides, if they do touch one of your other plants, will make a burn, but won't kill the plant.
it would be best to drape some plastic over your other outdoor plants while you spray, and then remove the plastic once any chance of drift is gone (the splash guard )

 

[NYEric]

Good luck. At least that's one thing apartment growers don't have to worry about.

 

[SlipperFan]

I made the mistake of planting English Ivy in my front bed. When it started taking over, I started pulling -- and pulling. And I'm still pulling, but much less often now. I like the paintbrush idea.

 

[abax]

Thank all of you for your relatively sane suggestions. I like the paint brush
idea too, but I'd be out there for weeks painting RU. I really don't want to kill ALL the ivy. I just want the roots out of my gh foundation. Yeah Dot, I hear that! I've been pulling and slashing for two summers and the ivy seems to just grow faster.

Lance, maybe shock treatment for me might be the better idea. Then I'd
just forgedabouit. Here's the thing: the roots have grown through two feet of concrete and rebar and a concrete floor sealed with silicone where
knee wall meets floor. I'm fascinated when I'm not really pissed off about
it. The persistence of plants I mean.

Tyrone, I'm an old lady and you're talking hundreds of daylilies and Narcissi. My back hurts just thinking about it...oooouuuuuch!

What about just using a spray bottle with RU and brush killer and just
carefully spraying the roots on the inside of the gh? Suppose that might
work?

 

[SlipperFan]

Roots on the inside of the greenhouse??? Oh my. Yuck!!!

 

[abax]

Yuck is absolutely right. I'm still having a hard time believing that the
roots grew through all that concrete. Amazing, ain't it?

 

[Marc]

I had Water Horsetail growing in the garden, I took care of it by removing as much of the plant above ground as I could find. I then dug out the roots as far as I could and then treated the remaining root stumps with pure roundup.

I've seen people use this on Black cherry's as well as this is a introduced species and not welcome in our forrests.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Like an idiot I planted black bamboo a few years ago. It's beautiful...but! It takes over like any Phyllostachys. So far, I've controlled it by eating every spike that appears in an unwanted spot. But I've had it with this plant...even where I want it, it falls over after evert storm. And once 15-20' high bamboo stalks bend over, they don't get up! I've decided that this year, every spike gets eaten, reghardless of where it pops up...and next year, and next year....My wife got sick of eating bamboo every other day last year...she'll hate me this year when I serve it every day!

 

[SlipperFan]

I didn't know Black Bamboo was Winter-hardy in our climate.

 

[Clark]

The shorter variety of P. nigra is also hardy in the area.
We have ours for 6-7yrs. now.
The stalks/culms are less than an inch in diameter.

btw, my neighbors english ivy is very invasive, and is threatening to choke the bamboo. :fight:

 

[abax]

I've got a book of recipes for eating kudzu. Do you suppose there's a book
somewhere about eating ivy???? Yuuum...I love bamboo shoots.

Marc, that sounds like a good plan to me and will work I think.

 

[Stone]

Remember that round up will only work if applied to leaves not stems or roots.
I would recommend destroying the entire plant. If you can't spray (and round up doesn't work that well on ivy) you need to grab your secatures or pruning saw and trace the plant back to the main stem or stems. Cut it off just above the ground and then leave it. In 1 day you will see what you have killed and what you have missed and you'll know what to do. How about some pics?

 

[keithrs]

It seems to me that if that you'll have to remove the whole plant as you will be dealing with it as long is in that area.

They do make RU just for ivy. You'll need to use a dish soap when you apply it to help the "poison" stick.

Cover the plant you don't want RU on or do it the all fashion way and just start pull'n and torch'n.

Vicodin anyone?oke: