Beware English Ivy.

[Colin]

Hi,

Many thanks Chuck for taking the time to add such a comprehensive reply; its much appreciated and has put my mind at rest; I'm a novice so I'm learning all the time even the basics so I'm not rushing into things all at once.

Thanks alp for your welcome suggestion; I have both a lawnmower and shredder so have a choice in breaking the ivy down; I've already shredded a lot and am using it as mulch but I've also now got another big pile that I'd like to compost; I think I'll use the petrol mower then I can also go over the grass a last time before servicing the mower ready to put it away for winter; I hope the wind doesn't get up too much tonight and tomorrow because every day I can get into the garden before winter sets in is a bonus.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[alp]

I have a cheap shredder and it is stuck with all sorts of leaves except ivy from the neighbours as my border was southeast facing and all plants turn their heads towards the sun. After so much frustration with the shredder, now I just leave all my pruned materials on the lawn and use my lawnmower to go over them. It's so much cheaper and I don't have to unclog it all the times. But considering the age of your ivy, you might need your shredder as they could be too bulky for the lawnmower!

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks alp; my shredder is a good one its a Bosch AXT 25 D and seldom clogs as long as I don't try to shred too much at once; it's also pretty good at self feeding pulling material in at a decent speed; I watch the box as I shred and when the material reaches near the top I switch the shredder off and pull the box out to give it a shake then push the box back in; this way ensures a full box rather than just a pile in the middle; since buying this shredder it's been used a lot and owes me nothing.

Earlier this year I attacked tall bracken with the petrol lawn mower; the bracken stems stopped the mower dead much to my surprise.

WOW; Gale is on form tonight rattling our bungalow trying to remove it from the valley side.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[alp]

My shredder is a toy.. let me put it bluntly... These manufacturers should be punished for clogging up the world with useless equipment ..

I remember Monty feeding his meconopsis with bracken as mulch. I wish I had some. Perhaps I will make do with coffee grinds. Hope you peg down everything, @Colin can't be too careful..

Hope you have a quiet night.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks alp. Many things these days are designed to expire the day after their warranty runs out; people no longer want to pay for good quality so manufacturers have had to adjust to remain in business hence they trim their product to the bare minimum. Our Bosch shredder is decent but even this had a wheel fall off which I easily repaired. Things aren't what they used to be.

Yes the rain and wind have finally departed but no doubt they will be back soon.

This morning I was up the top of the garden very early ripping out the remaining ivy; what a terrible job this has been but thankfully it's now more or less fully sorted; I pulled out lots of mile a minute vine rope snapping it off; I was on my hands and knees under the bushes dragging out all the debris so now I can see the ground; the ivy was a pain to remove but little by little I cleared it. I didn't use any chemicals at all just doing the work the usual hard way.

This afternoon though Bron and I visited our local garden centre and I intended to buy Roundup tree & stump killer; how typical that they didn't have any; on the way back home I said let's call at the post office and also to the service station to fuel the Yeti; the post office was in darkness; a hand written note on the door declared sorry closed due to illness; we skipped visiting the service station and returned home.

Now I can clearly identify the mile a minute vine and thick ivy stumps I can treat these to kill them once I buy the Roundup; in the meantime I'm now delighted to have all the area cleared and looking tidy; I've added this latest debris to the cleared dug over area to deter cats leaving presents and the squirrels digging many holes. The debris can either rot down or simply dry until next year; the hard work is now done and any new mile a minute vine or ivy will be easy to see and deal with.

I wanted to carry water up the garden to wet the big compost pile but I've run out of energy for today. When I need Blackie he takes a hike.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[alp]

Yes, @Colin! That's called built-in obsolescence. Guarantee you will need to buy one after 2 years. Had a rotisserie and everything was OK, but the knob broke..

Be careful please when you work in the sloping garden and stop when the soil is slippery.. It can be very dangerous.

 

[Chuck]

Hi,

Thanks alp. Many things these days are designed to expire the day after their warranty runs out; people no longer want to pay for good quality so manufacturers have had to adjust to remain in business hence they trim their product to the bare minimum. Our Bosch shredder is decent but even this had a wheel fall off which I easily repaired. Things aren't what they used to be.

Yes the rain and wind have finally departed but no doubt they will be back soon.

This morning I was up the top of the garden very early ripping out the remaining ivy; what a terrible job this has been but thankfully it's now more or less fully sorted; I pulled out lots of mile a minute vine rope snapping it off; I was on my hands and knees under the bushes dragging out all the debris so now I can see the ground; the ivy was a pain to remove but little by little I cleared it. I didn't use any chemicals at all just doing the work the usual hard way.

This afternoon though Bron and I visited our local garden centre and I intended to buy Roundup tree & stump killer; how typical that they didn't have any; on the way back home I said let's call at the post office and also to the service station to fuel the Yeti; the post office was in darkness; a hand written note on the door declared sorry closed due to illness; we skipped visiting the service station and returned home.

Now I can clearly identify the mile a minute vine and thick ivy stumps I can treat these to kill them once I buy the Roundup; in the meantime I'm now delighted to have all the area cleared and looking tidy; I've added this latest debris to the cleared dug over area to deter cats leaving presents and the squirrels digging many holes. The debris can either rot down or simply dry until next year; the hard work is now done and any new mile a minute vine or ivy will be easy to see and deal with.

I wanted to carry water up the garden to wet the big compost pile but I've run out of energy for today. When I need Blackie he takes a hike.

Kind regards, Colin.

View attachment 28585 View attachment 28586

Just remember to apply the roundup to FRESH cuts or it won't work.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks alp for your concern about my safety; when it's wet I can go skiing down the garden without skis.

Thanks Chuck for the reminder; yes when I apply Roundup I'll ensure it's applied to freshly cut sections only.

Kind regards, Colin.