AN expert has revealed a £1.50 hack to stop English ivy from overtaking your garden.
English ivy is a charming-looking plant, which can make your outdoor space look like a serene haven.
However, it grows rapidly, and can end up overtaking your garden, and creeping over your neighbour’s wall.
Ivy can grow up to a whopping 30m tall, and produces aerial shoots that allow it to easily cling to walls, trees and fences.
Tara Besore, who has a gardening blog called Hammer & Headband revealed how she successfully managed to prevent ivy from taking over her garden.
She said: “Stopping it [ivy] seemed impossible, but eventually I got rid of every last ivy root and vine in my yard.
“Here’s what you need to know to remove English ivy for good.”;
The gardening whizz tried cutting and pulling up the ivy and spraying herbicides on it, but found that neither of these methods worked properly.
However, she revealed that solarisation worked a treat on even the densest patches of ivy.
“It doesn’t strain your back, and it doesn’t require chemicals”;, she said.
“All it takes is patience.”;
To try out this hack, she explained that all you need is a black plastic sheet, such as a bin bag.
“After spending a getting nowhere with brute force, I turned to the solarisation method,”; Tara said.
“This involves letting the sun scorch the ivy under plastic.”;
Wrap your ivy in bin bags, and then secure it firmly with bricks or stakes.
Tara explained that this method deprives the plants of water.
“It cooks in the heat, permanently killing the ivy, the roots, and even the seeds so it can’t grow back”;, she said.
Once the ivy has turned brown and brittle, you can easily pull it up out of the ground and clear it away.
Bin bags are super cheap, and you likely have them in your kitchen cupboard.
If not, you can pick them up from Aldi for £1.25.
