English Ivy is an evergreen vine that is grown and used as a ornamental plant in various landscape applications… from suppressing weeds in planting beds to covering buildings to improve the structures temperature regulation as well as its exterior appearance.
But enough about that, I’m here today to discuss the dark side of english ivy and one solution to the problem.
Growing Out of Control
English ivy can quickly begin to grow out of control. It can become virtually uncontrollable once its takes hold and begins climbing trees. Left unaddressed this vine can literally cover the entire exterior of a tree with its vines and leaves and suffocate the tree to death. And, as english ivy matures and continues to grow unchecked, its vines grow larger and thicker. I’ve seen english ivy vines that are as thick as small trees or a human arm. This vine can climb a tall tree from ground in a surprisingly short period of time. During the warm growth season the plant can grow several feet in height and width.
Controlling english ivy on the ground is a big problem by itself. But, controlling english ivy that has made it up into the trees is a whole nuther problem.
The main issue with killing english ivy thats growing in the trees, is that we don’t want to do anything that could negatively impact the tree. For this reason chemicals and herbicides are not recommended for solving this problem.
Getting English Ivy out of Trees
Luckily there are some very straight forward things we can do to help get the ivy out of the trees.
If the vines are small you may be able to use your hands to pull or break the vines away from the trunk of the tree. But if you are not able to grip and tear away the small vines from the tree, then you can also use some pruning shears.
Mature Ivy
If the vines have been growing in the trees for years you may have to use pruning shears. If you have one, you can use a reciprocating saw to cut through the vines. A chainsaw is a last resort and you will need to work carefully as not do damage the trunk of the tree with the teeth of the chainsaw.
Be Thorough
Make sure that you’ve cut through the vines completely. Remove as much of the vine as you can from the height of your cut down to the ground. It’s important to take these clippings and dispose of them. If you simply pull the vines away from the tree and drop them to the ground, the vine will simply continue to grow and crawl along the ground.
Over the next few days and weeks you will observe the remaining vines and begin to turn brown and die on the tree. Please be aware that the english ivy leaves will wither away first. This will leave the brown vines to dry out and rot away in place.
In some instances, after the vines have been dead for sometime, you may be able to grab a portion of the vine that is still attached to the tree and pull it away. I prefer to dispose of these clippings and vines off the premise as well. Better safe than sorry.
Have you had success killing english ivy that is growing in the trees? If so, we’d love to hear about your experience and any tips. Share you experience in the comment section below.