GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Mature ornamental pear

David \(Normandy\) · 01-08-2007, 07:06 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 1/8/07 11:49, in article , "dz-015"
wrote:

Hi folks,

We have moved to a new house and have discovered a mature ornamental
pear tree completely covered with ivy. The ivy is up into the crown
and the pear is showing some signs of dead branches. The good news is
there seems to be a good amount of new growth among the ivy in the
crown.

I've decided the ivy is coming down and have been up into the tree to
look for nesting birds/bats etc. but there are none. I've removed 70%
of the ivy including some mature trunks (6 inches in diameter!) and
hope to get the rest soon. The good thing is the trunk is now getting
a lot of sunlight whereas before, the bark was completely covered.

Once I've cleared the ivy, do you recommend I consult an arboricultural
expert to assess the general state of the tree?

I'm prejudiced, so I'd certainly get an expert in if you think you can't
handle it yourself. These are such very beautiful trees when fully grown.
Can you confidently cut away any dead wood yourself? If you can, it may
be
worth waiting until next spring to see how your tree responds to light and
air and not competing for water and food!

--
Sacha

We had an oak tree covered in ivy. It all originated from an ivy trunk
around 3 inched diameter, so I sawed it through last Summer. After a few
months the ivy was dead. This year the oak tree is looking a lot happier.
The dead ivy is still clinging to it, but is no longer choking it to death.
I thought I'd leave the ivy in-situ rather than trying to pull any off as it
would probably have damaged the bark. I'm sure it will weather and fall off
in it's own time over the next few years.

David.