The usual suggestions for control are (1) make sure the grass grows well
to crowd out the ivy (this works in lawns, but the sheep are removing the
grass), (2) pull it up by hand (this would be fine in the garden, but I
don't have time to weed 5 acres by hand, (3) plow everything up and start
all over (my pastures are 30 to 40 degrees and rocky; no one in his/her
right might would drive a tractor up that hill, which is why I got the
sheep in the first place, (4) drench the pasture with herbicides (I don't
want to do this).
Does anyone know of any animal that would eat this plant? I know someone
with goats who is having the same problem. Someone else found that where
some grazing chickens had scratched, the ivy population was reduced
somewhat, but not eliminated.
According to one book, ivy is an indicator of rich soil, and I do find it
most prevalent where the sheep have fertilized most heavily, so I can't
get rid of it by increasing fertility.
The sheep will actually eat some of the ivy as well as regular mint in
the fall, when the tastier stuff is gone, but every year there seems to
be more ivy and less grass.
The problem seems insoluble, but I think no problem is insoluble, so I
keep trying.
I've already posted this question on GRAZE-L, and I apologize to graziers
for the redundancy.
Thanks for any input,
Gretchen
PS I have a lot of old apple trees, and I'm storing the apples in the
cellar. I also bought a few commercial Northern Spies for comparison. A
rodent has discovered the apples, and she or he's left the commercial
apples alone in favor of the pock-marked, misshapen, ugly little organic
apples. Doesn't prove anything, of course, but I agree with his or her
taste. The commercial apples taste watery to me. This might not be
organic vs nonorganic as much as fast growth vs slow growth. My apples
grow slowly so the flavor is concentrated, like wild strawberries.