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When it comes to getting rid of ivy in your garden, the natural way may be the best. While it is tempting to opt for powerful weed killers, there is a less toxic way to control this climbing plant, which can cling to and damage masonry and fencing – and it may be hiding in your kitchen cabinet. If you’re looking to get rid of ivy (the non-poisonous kind) or even get rid of poison ivy, then you should begin with apple cider vinegar – a natural solution that won’t harm your garden. This tip is entirely expert-approved and couldn’t come at a better time for taming this invasive plant.

Ivy has growth spurts when its leaves may appear red or green. So, if gardeners find themselves battling ivy, then this natural approach may be the quick solution they need. 

Jeremy Yamaguchi, Lawn Love’s CEO, said: “I have tried a handful of DIY solutions for getting rid of ivy, but the solution that’s worked best is a combination of apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and salt.”

The gardening expert suggested using one gallon of apple cider vinegar, one ounce of dish soap, and one tablespoon of salt.

 Gardeners need to prepare before they try to get rid of ivy with apple cider vinegar.

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Ivy will irritate the skin, even if mildly; poison ivy will, of course, inflict swollen skin, blisters, and often severe itching. 

HomeCareHow’s founder Edward Jones recommends wearing long sleeves, long trousers, boots, and rubber gardening gloves.

The experts recommend filling a spray bottle with your solution (apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and one tablespoon of salt) and spraying the mixture onto your ivy plants thoroughly. 

Jeremy explained: “The vinegar and salt are the agents that attack the ivy the most. Meanwhile, the soap works to improve the vinegar’s effectiveness.”

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The experts say that the solution should sit on your ivy plants for at least five days – at which point it is time to check on its progress. 

Finally, it is best to use a pruning saw and garden shears to remove the dead ivy safely. Gardeners should pick the right size of shears based on how well established their ivy is.

Those plants that have grown for quite some time make their stems and tendrils thicker and more rigid, requiring potentially sharper or larger pruning shears. 

It is best to choose shears that will either chop leaves and stems up to a manageable size or allow gardeners to clip smaller pieces with total ease.

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Gardeners can even use a decorator's scraping tool to remove ivy that's clinging strongly to masonry. 

However, if they discover some leaves have survived, Edward recommends repeating the same process until all the ivy is dead. 

To get rid of ivy permanently, wait for a period of a few dry days, then spray the ivy leaves with a solution of apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and one tablespoon of salt.

Allow the mix to do its work on the ivy for five days. Detach the dead ivy from the walls carefully, disposing of it in the bin, not the compost.

English Ivy can be bagged and disposed of with garden waste collection. Although, if possible, burning the plants after removal is the best option.

Seeds will not be able to spread after removal with this method. Be sure you can burn chemicals without creating noxious fumes if you are using a chemical treatment.

If gardeners can't dig out the roots, kill them with herbicide or with a one part white vinegar and four parts water solution.

Finally, return to the area regularly to check for new growth, and deal with it as above.

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