"KEVIN M QUINLEY" wrote in message
...
This may be a dumb question, but I have some ivy (not poison ivy) growing
in
my back yard, crawling up the outside brick walls and the wood of a
screened-in porch. Should I pull it off or let it grow? Will it hurt the
wood and brick is I let it be? Any thoughts on "managing" ivy? Thanks!

--

Kevin
Fairfax, VA


I can't really offer a decent response here, not being a real garden person
myself, but I do know that most masons and home builders don't like it. I
did a Google search for Ivy growing on walls and found the following two
letters, and responses at:

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/quickies.htm

Mary wrote:

Hello Garden Helper, I came across your site today during a search to gather
information on ivy. I just purchased a house that has ivy growing up on most
of it. It seems very securely attached to the walls, which are plaster over
concrete block (I believe). I've been advised to remove the ivy, but like
the way it looks, so I am trying to determine how much damage it can/will do
to the house. Any advise/wisdom you can share with me?


OK...I got different responses from different sources. The masons and
bricklayers seem to think its a no-no.(hmm...I guess they should know! ?)
However, the University of Denmark did a study and concluded that ivy
growing on a wall did no substantial damage to the surface, but in fact
added a bit of insulation to the wall. (uhh, these are college folks, aren't
they suppose to know?) Well, since you asked ME, and not them,,,I think ivy
covered walls are very cool! If it were my house, I would inspect to see if
the roots are penetrating any cracks or joints in the masonry. If the roots
are just adhering themselves to the surface, I wouldn't mess with them. If
the roots are growing into cracks, you can assume that water is getting in
there, as well. That will create problems eventually. In lieu of losing your
ivy, one option would be to build a lattice attached to the wall on which
the ivy could grow.

Anne wrote:

We would like to plant boston ivy to cover our very long (100 ft) 2 story
brick wall...is there a recommended ratio of plants per square foot area?
Also, how long will it take to move along up the wall? the summer, a few
seasons? Thanks in advance!


If you are planting standard 4 inch ivy plants, they should be planted about
a foot apart and six inches from the wall. Give each plant a minimum size of
6"x6"x9" deep hole. As soon as the plant is established, give it a shot of
high nitrogen liquid fertilizer (20-10-10), and feed again in August. The
time that it will take to cover the wall will, of course depend on the
growing conditions. A single ivy vine can easily grow six feet in a year.
Pinching the tips of the vine will slow the growth initially but produce a
much bushier plant which in turn will cover the wall sooner. Since you are
starting from scratch, you might want to consider building a lattice
attached to the wall for the plants to grow on.

I don't know if that will answer your questions or not, you might check with
your local nurseries and see what 'they' say - check more than one.

Hope this helps

Ray