Valerie wrote:
It would have to be an awful lot of dirt for this to work. You say this
part of the yard needs to be "levelled" - what exactly do you mean by that?
Are you going to get in there with bulldozers or?
If you are planning to plant the area you can simply sheet mulch over it -
a thick layer of newspaper followed by a thick layer of manure, compost,
straw, leaves, whatever you have available. The earthworms will move in
and eat the ivy and roots, turning them into wonderful compost. You can
plant right in the mulch and start new soil on top of old. I wouldn't
bother tilling up the ivy - you'll only kill the worms who will be your
biggest helpers once you get the area planted.
If there are spots that need levelling you can fill them in with dirt prior
to doing the sheet mulch.
= Lee =
==================================
Lee A. Flier
lflier@mindspring.com
Atlanta and Ellijay, Georgia, U.S.A.
Hello All,
We have a large patch of ivy in the yard, and we decided that we'd be
happier if it were a patch of grass. Digging the ivy out is pretty
much out of the question--we did a little test digging and it's
just too thick and well rooted. Since the chunk of yard needs to be
leveled anyway, we thought maybe if we just buried it under enough
dirt it would smother it and kill it. Anybody got any experience
with this? Will it work--ivy seems to be pretty tough stuff. Any
other suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Valerie Hillgren
Mainz, Germany
hillgren@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
I top mulch with wood chips when I do this to keep too many weeds from
getting a hold on things then I hit it with some blood meal to counteract
the temporary nitrogen defiency while the wood chips break down...
Shelley
USDA Zone 6A
Sunset Zone 39
Detroit
Hi Lee,
Thanks for your response.
By leveling I meant that the ground was uneven not that we needed a
bulldozer--
tempting as that is. Actually, the whole area would be covered with 3
to
6 (maybe more) inches of dirt. Do you think that would be enough? I
actually
like the sheet mulch idea. We live down the street from a horse
stable--I'm
sure they would be willing to supply us with all the manure our hearts
desire!
Valerie Hillgren
Mainz, Germany
hillgren@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
