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We have ground ivy (creeping charlie) that is trying to take over our back yard. We are against using pesticides, as we have a young son. Are there natural/organic ways of beating it (other than just painstakingly pulling it all out)?

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Did you get rid of the unwanted ground ivy? If yes, can you please explain how you went about doing so... – Mike Perry Sep 28 '11 at 21:56
@MikePerry: no I haven't gotten rid of it yet. Also, there was a pretty big die-off in our front yard. Must have been some sort of disease? – David Oneill Oct 31 '11 at 17:47
What kind of "die-off" ie What died off, what were the symptoms & what does it look like now? – Mike Perry Oct 31 '11 at 18:49
Just the ground ivy died. One time I went out to mow, all the ground ivy was brown and dried looking. The grass, clover, and other weeds looked fine. – David Oneill Nov 1 '11 at 0:06
So you're mad, crazy, gardening skills took care of the ground ivy :) Do you need to get rid of any other unwanted plants or are you now good with what you've got there? – Mike Perry Nov 1 '11 at 1:34
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2 Answers

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You could kill it by suffocating it from light and heating it naturally. Put a dark tarp over it, and anchor it so it doesn't blow away. The heat from the sun and lack of light will burn that and anything else growing under there in several days to a couple of weeks.

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Hmm. That would do the trick, although I bet that would kill our grass, too: right? This is in our yard, and I'd rather not kill everything and need to reseed if I don't have to. – David Oneill Jun 9 '11 at 18:32
Yes, it will kill the grass and all weed seed. You would start a new lawn after solarizing and it would be remarkably weed-free. – Peter DeWeese Jun 23 '11 at 19:38
Would this approach work for English ivy or bamboo? We have a section of our yard being invaded by these where we'd like to plant a garden. – Eli Lansey Mar 28 '12 at 18:08
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I severely disabled some ground ivy by letting it grow a foot tall and mowing it off at one inch. The grass really jumped and thickened, though it was a shock at first. The grass thickening crowded out the ivy and the ivy has been stunted all year.

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Hmm, I'll have to try this. – David Oneill Oct 31 '11 at 17:48

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