Question
I recently purchased a house that has a large yard, But, it has a very steep( a portion of it) incline on it and is very unlevel in the front and back yards. The previous owners let the incline grow up with weeds, trees, ivy, and it has posion ivy all over it. I am trying to get this cleared away but really do not know how to do this as it is very steep and hard to work on. Also the posion ivy is a problem. It is too steep for a lawn mower or anything like that. Do you have any suggestions or remedies. Also once I get it cleared how to maintain it. Is there some sort of chemical I can put on it? Anything that you can tell me would help.

Thanks,
James

Answer
James,
That's probably why they let it go.It is very difficult to grow and maintain anything on a steep incline,but not impossible.
Start by killing everything.That sounds really harsh,but that is your only recourse at this time,since it is so neglected and dangerous.Get a large hand held sprayer and some strong week killer.If you have a farmers coop or something like that around your area go there to get the strongest weed killer they have.It needs to be for ALL vegetation. Carefully work your way down the incline or if you feel safer start at the bottom of the incline.Work your way up(or down) and spray everything in a horizontal,evenly sprayed motion.Wait about a week and if you see any green,which you probably will,spray again,just the area that didn't die.
If you are planning to sew grass seed there,this is what I do. Get some cheap black plastic that comes in rolls and some metal garden staples.You can find these things at Lowes or WalMart or Home Depot.
Cover the entire area with the black plastic and hold it down with the garden staples.Leave it until spring.ALL the vegetation should be dead by then and you can see the terrain much better.If it is possible,try to mow it with a push mower.If there are any dead clippings rake it up,this will also aerate the soil a little. Since it is so steep you can't till it up with a tiller so just sew the grass seed on top of the ground evenly and get a sprinkler on it every day,but GENTLY spray so as not to wash the seed down the hill.It also helps to cover the seed with hay or a mat of compressed straw.That also will help the seed from washing down the hill.
Sounds like a lot of work but it will be worth it.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out!