Getting rid of English Ivy

[DennisArrow]

I have several mature, old growth, hickories and oak around the yard that are totally covered with English Ivy. For a long time I thought it looked kinda neat. Till it started covering the ground and choking out every thing. That and with the drought here in NW Ga, and loosing MANY older oaks and hickories I am concerned that the Ivy will kill those great trees here by the house.
Some say that the ivy will not kill a tree; but from what I see, the roots that the ivy sinks into the bark, goes into the cambium and holds onto the tree with also rob the tree of valuable moisture and nutrients.
Anyway, I carefully peeled back and cut the vines, often times as large as one's wrist, all the way around the tree and cut them. To show that they are getting moisture from the tree, on some trees, the ivy was dead in a very short time; but on others they are withered but still green and dieing slowly after several months.

What I wonder is, last summer I sprayed brush killer on a lot that was spreading on the ground. This would take 2 or 3 applications to kill that that was on the ground. The question is, If I spray the brush killer on the tree itelf up to about waist high where I cut the vines around the tree; but the ivy is still growing from there down,.......will this damge the tree?.................Thanks and God Bless.........Dennis

 

[jimmyj]

I'm no expert at all Dennis but if you think the Ivy has grown into the cambium of the tree and you spray poison on the ivy is there not a chance of it being absorbed into the tree? I'd talk to a local arborist for sure.

Can you "pull" the ivy out of the trees? Maybe a dumb question but I thought I'd ask anyways.

 

[Cap-n-Cray]

I don't know about English ivy, but I know ivy will kill trees. I have a small patch of ivy I am slowly removing. It has attacked several fir trees. Every once and a while I cut the ivy's path to the ground. It will die and after a year can be pulled off the trees. It comes off easy, but it is work.

I have also spayed ivy killer on the ground ivy and it is slowly killing it also. The spay says it will not kill the trees, but I am using it sparingly around the trees.

Cary

 

[Pilot]

In my experience it was easy to kill ivy with good old 2,4-D.

Don't know if it would go from the ivy into the tree.

I suspect the ivy that didn't die right away after you cut it is dying slowly because you missed a stem or two and what's left can't keep it all alive.

 

[Highbeam]

It will kill the tree. I think it looks nice on the ground and have intentionally planted it because it is evergreen, it spreads with gusto, and smothers everything else, the same reasons you don't like it.

Keep it from climbing the trees but if it has then cut it from around the trunk as discussed. I have never seen ivy that was sustained from the parent tree alone. It seems to only climb the tree for light and the roots sent into the bark or for grip.

Don't hate the ivy, hate the maintenance required to prevent it from climbing the trees.

 

[heehaw]

why couldn't you spray the leaves of the ivy that are below the tree, with roundup? or even use a rag an wipe it on the leaves? go gently because if you have exposed roots on the tree, the roundup will kill it.
heehaw

 

[Highbeam]

It will kill the tree. I think it looks nice on the ground and have intentionally planted it because it is evergreen, it spreads with gusto, and smothers everything else, the same reasons you don't like it.

Keep it from climbing the trees but if it has then cut it from around the trunk as discussed. I have never seen ivy that was sustained from the parent tree alone. It seems to only climb the tree for light and the roots sent into the bark or for grip.

Don't hate the ivy, hate the maintenance required to prevent it from climbing the trees.

When I said "It will kill the tree" I meant the ivy will. Not sure about the herbicide.

 

[dmccarty]

Just noticed here at work that a Cherry tree is dead. It stands out since the other trees in the planting are blooming. The dead tree is in a planting bed that had Ivy. At least I think it was Ivy.

The landscapers nukes it with a chemical. Killed the Ivy. And it killed the tree. That Ivy was not going anywhere either so I don't know why the nuked it. And they used something strong and/or a lot of it to kill that tree

Later,
Dan