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A friend of mine moved into a house last year, and they inherited a compost heap that's totally overgrown/infested with ivy. Any ideas how to get rid of it? Ivy can be great, in the right place, but I suppose one wouldn't want it all over the garden...

Plenty of chemical solutions Ina but doubtful if most of the products would be available in small enough quantities to be practical and most are persistent. In reality, physical removal is probably the best and easiest solution but needs to be persistent - most will be able to be removed fairly quickly and easily but there will be regeneration from seeds,stems and roots for a while. If you must go for a chemical solution, avoid the "off the shelf" pre-mixed products - these are designed to remove wallet contents more than to remove weeds. If possible get some 360 or 450 g/l Glyphosate (roundup) and mix this 1:2 with water - don't spray this on the plant. Two techniques - scrape and paint by removing the outer layer on the base of stems for about 6 - 8 inches and paint with the solution- cut stump by chopping off about 4 inches above ground and painting (be quick, you have about 20 seconds post cutting to apply )

Like Weedo I'm fairly certain that physical removal is the best form of control. If the friend is not in full time, front line employment at the moment beating ivy could be cheap and productive. Wear gloves when pulling out. Ivy does answer back.

I'd remove as much of it as possible, chop it up and make sure it's well-rotted (somewhere away from the compost heap) before they put them back anywhere near the heap.

To deal with any bits left in the heap there's some stuff called Ammonium Sulphamate, which is sold as a compost accelerator. It had long been sold as weedkiller and is a good one, but the small manufacturer couldn't afford the EU compliance testing, so is now unable to sell it for that purpose. However, in this instance it's two-fold function is perfect for the job.

Don't be tempted to use it as a weedkiller anywhere you don't want compost because that's how it functions - turns green into brown crumbly compost - perfect for the next batch of weeds to germinate! Don't ask me how I know.

Wow - comprehensive answers! Thank you very much. I shall pass all this on.

Yes, my friend (colleague) is off work at the moment - might be doing some stuff from home, but not full time - but she also has two small children to look after. But it might be a good time to at least make a start on this.

Thanks again!