In article , Lar
wrote:
In article ,
--- says...
"Vinny" wrote in message
...
Hello,
I have a few trees in my yard, oaks and pines, that have english ivy
climbing up the trunks.
Is this OK for the trees?
Thanks in advance,
Vin~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ivy will do no damage, but many find it unsightly. It takes nothing
from the tree~~ only support. It can hide disease but also provides
nesting
sites. Take your choice!!
Best Wishes Brian.
As the ivy grows into the tree it blocks out the sunlight off of the
bark, which in turn keeps the activation of dormant buds from happening
along with the development of new buds which produce new leaves, which
produces photosynthesis...
Here's my article "About Ivy Climbing Trees":
http://www.paghat.com/ivyclimbs.html
The short answer is it is harmless with very few exceptions. Certainly
covering the bark has no effect whatsoever on photosynthesis & buds are
fed from the roots not from the sun. If ivy could cover the a tree to the
dripline hiding the leaves that'd be a problem, but it is not inclined to
do that. There are a couple reasons to not keep such ivy, addressed in the
"climbing trees" article, the main one being that ivy increases wind
resistance & increases blow-down of shallowly rooted trees.
There's also the issue of "invasive vs non-invasive ivy" covered he
http://www.paghat.com/ivy.html
Frequently what people have is just nasty, nasty ivy that harms the
environment (unless you live where it is truly native & its a proper part
of an ecosystem adapted to it). It poisons birds & seeds into nearby
woodlands displacing native plantlife. If this is the one climbing the
trees:
http://www.paghat.com/hederahibernica.html
then just get rid of it & replace it with non-invasive cultivars, which
tend to be prettier anyway with great variety.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
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