Nope, the leaves are waxy and the spray runs off.

Not the most efficient way of dealing with English ivy but herbicides can work. Triclopyr is more effective than glyphosate but both would benefit by a surfactant added that helps penetration of the leaf cuticle (that waxy surface) rather than just the straight herbicide.

Other tips: use the maximum strength of whatever product you get. Apply in spring as the plant pushes new growth - brand new leaves are less resistant to the herbicide. Also exposing the vining stems by stripping off leaves (who has time for that with an ivy infestation??) or just whacking the plant back to expose cut stems will also allow better herbicide absorption.

Living in the invasive English ivy capitol of the universe, I can say categorially that any chemical intervention is not going to be nearly as effective or as efficient as manually removing the plant and all its roots. Yes, it takes time and effort and good deal of manual labor but it will provide the best results. And with minimal impact on the environment.

Not too long ago, there was an article in our local paper about a lady in town who was battling English Ivy and pulled it out by hand. She ended up with a bad reaction, an allergy that caused her to break out and itch. The article went on to say how toxic it is to human skin.

I've never had a problem - so far - in all these years yanking it out by the armfuls. It actually pulls out of the my soil fairly easily. It's just time consuming as mentioned. Thanks for the input.

Long sleeves and gloves are needed.

Some people are more sensitive to contact dermatitis - or the reaction folks get from touching certain plants - than others. Pruning or removing junipers (among a host of others) can produce a very similar effect.

I am not sensitive at all to any plant irritants I have been exposed to however my daughter is highly sensitive and still bears the evidence of blisters she received from an unfortunate plant encounter 15 years ago.

I'm wondering if an herbicide would be more effective if the ivy was mowed or weed whacked first, before applying it. That is the best method of eradicating bracken ferns in my area. They are very difficult to remove other methods.