So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

Ive noticed that an Elm just on the other side of our fence has a hell
of a lot of ivy on it gonig up and covering pretty much all the main
trunk up to 30 feet and one main branch too.

Now, it provides some nice privacy in the summer when in leaf and I
always believed that ivy choked trees but then happened to hear on the
winter edition of Springwatch that you shouldnt remove the ivy as it
provided habitats for wildlife etc.

So, now im wondering if what Ive believed is right or wrong??

--
Donnie

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

On 01/01/2011 15:00, Donnie wrote:
Ive noticed that an Elm just on the other side of our fence has a hell
of a lot of ivy on it gonig up and covering pretty much all the main
trunk up to 30 feet and one main branch too.

Now, it provides some nice privacy in the summer when in leaf and I
always believed that ivy choked trees but then happened to hear on the
winter edition of Springwatch that you shouldnt remove the ivy as it
provided habitats for wildlife etc.

So, now im wondering if what Ive believed is right or wrong??

Well- it depends. A big vigorous tree is unlikely to be affected. OTOH
we had an alder on the local nature reserve that was looking very sickly
with most branches covered with ivy. Cutting that off gave the tree a
new lease of life.
If in the summer you can mostly see ivy leaves then rescue may be needed.

--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In message , Donnie
wrote
I
always believed that ivy choked trees but then happened to hear on the
winter edition of Springwatch that you shouldnt remove the ivy as it
provided habitats for wildlife etc.

A habitat for rats in an urban environment.

--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

Alan wrote in :

In message , Donnie
wrote
I
always believed that ivy choked trees but then happened to hear on the
winter edition of Springwatch that you shouldnt remove the ivy as it
provided habitats for wildlife etc.

A habitat for rats in an urban environment.


I think so too. Possibly looking for eggs to feed the festering brood.
O.K. not this time of year. Do birds roost in ivy? If they do then the rats
would certainly take a weak undernourished bird. (if that is the correct
spelling, Pete, the Perfect Prefect, Present Periodically Pertaining to the
Parsing of Permanent Precipitation. ie:canal water)
Grey squirrels too if I'm not wrong. Who would want a squirrel in their
garden? not me, but apparently if caught and released is illegal, but make
nice eating.

Baz

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

Baz wrote:

Alan wrote in
:

In message , Donnie
wrote
I
always believed that ivy choked trees but then happened to hear
on the winter edition of Springwatch that you shouldnt remove the
ivy as it provided habitats for wildlife etc.

A habitat for rats in an urban environment.


I think so too. Possibly looking for eggs to feed the festering brood.
O.K. not this time of year. Do birds roost in ivy? If they do then
the rats would certainly take a weak undernourished bird. (if that is
the correct spelling, Pete, the Perfect Prefect, Present Periodically
Pertaining to the Parsing of Permanent Precipitation. ie:canal water)
Grey squirrels too if I'm not wrong. Who would want a squirrel in
their garden? not me, but apparently if caught and released is
illegal, but make nice eating.

Thanks all, well, there are several other trees too that are ivy
"infested" mainly hawthorns, but its this particular elm im worried
about so wll keep an eye on it as spring progresses.

We've never had rats here though, nor has the one grey squirrel that
does live across the fence ever come in the garden:-)

Donnie

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In article ,
Donnie wrote:
We've never had
Spelling mistake I think - it's not 'had' it's 'seen'

rats here though, nor has the one grey
squirrel that does live across the fence ever come in the
garden:-)

John

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

JTM wrote:

In article ,
Donnie wrote:
We've never had
Spelling mistake I think - it's not 'had' it's 'seen'

rats here though, nor has the one grey
squirrel that does live across the fence ever come in the
garden:-)

Nooooo it's had, I was writing in English, what were you reading?

--
Donnie

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In article , Sacha
wrote:
On 2011-01-03 00:03:58 +0000, "Donnie"
said:

JTM wrote:

In article
,
Donnie wrote:
We've never had
Spelling mistake I think - it's not 'had' it's 'seen'

rats here though, nor has the one grey squirrel that
does live across the fence ever come in the garden:-)

Nooooo it's had, I was writing in English, what were
you reading?

I think the reply was intended to indicate that you
haven't *seen* rats, not that you haven't *had* rats
there.
Exactly. (but perhaps there should have been a smiley) ;-(
I haven't seen a rat (or any dormice, shrews, foxes or housemice) for
ages, but I know they are around John

--
John Mulrooney
NOTE Email address IS correct but might not be checked for a while.

To die completely a person must not only forget, but be forgotten

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

On Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:21:51 +0000 (GMT), JTM
wrote:

In article , Sacha
wrote:
On 2011-01-03 00:03:58 +0000, "Donnie"
said:

JTM wrote:

In article
,
Donnie wrote:
We've never had
Spelling mistake I think - it's not 'had' it's 'seen'

rats here though, nor has the one grey squirrel that
does live across the fence ever come in the garden:-)

Nooooo it's had, I was writing in English, what were
you reading?

I think the reply was intended to indicate that you
haven't *seen* rats, not that you haven't *had* rats
there.
Exactly. (but perhaps there should have been a smiley) ;-(
I haven't seen a rat (or any dormice, shrews, foxes or housemice) for
ages, but I know they are around John

This, thank goodness, is a largely smiley-free newsgroup.

--
Mike.

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

JTM wrote:

In article , Sacha
wrote:
On 2011-01-03 00:03:58 +0000, "Donnie"
said:

JTM wrote:

In article
,
Donnie wrote:
We've never had
Spelling mistake I think - it's not 'had' it's 'seen'

rats here though, nor has the one grey squirrel that
does live across the fence ever come in the garden:-)

Nooooo it's had, I was writing in English, what were
you reading?

I think the reply was intended to indicate that you
haven't seen rats, not that you haven't had rats
there.
Exactly. (but perhaps there should have been a smiley) ;-(
I haven't seen a rat (or any dormice, shrews, foxes or housemice) for
ages, but I know they are around John

How?

--
Donnie

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

"Donnie" wrote in message
...
Ive noticed that an Elm just on the other side of our fence has a hell
of a lot of ivy on it gonig up and covering pretty much all the main
trunk up to 30 feet and one main branch too.

Now, it provides some nice privacy in the summer when in leaf and I
always believed that ivy choked trees but then happened to hear on the
winter edition of Springwatch that you shouldnt remove the ivy as it
provided habitats for wildlife etc.

So, now im wondering if what Ive believed is right or wrong??


Ivy grew up my ash trees. No sign it's harmed them. Ivy is great for
birds, they hide in it from cold and some nest in it.

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In article ,
john brook wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

Ivy grew up my ash trees. No sign it's harmed them. Ivy is great for
birds, they hide in it from cold and some nest in it.

Apart from looking unsightly to some, it can cause damage to the tree from
high winds. the tree calculates how strong to make its branches to a fine
degree and doesnt allow for the added *wind- resistance* of ivy. you often
see broken branches from ivy infested trees.

That applies only when it gets out into the canopy. Even a thick
coat of ivy on the trunk and main branches will not harm a healthy
tree (or most unhealthy ones, for that matter).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In article ,
john brook wrote:

Ivy grew up my ash trees. No sign it's harmed them. Ivy is great for
birds, they hide in it from cold and some nest in it.

Apart from looking unsightly to some, it can cause damage to the tree from
high winds. the tree calculates how strong to make its branches to a fine
degree and doesnt allow for the added *wind- resistance* of ivy. you
often
see broken branches from ivy infested trees.

That applies only when it gets out into the canopy. Even a thick
coat of ivy on the trunk and main branches will not harm a healthy
tree (or most unhealthy ones, for that matter).

if you look for them it may surprise to see how very thick main branches are
brought down.

Sigh. That's irrelevant, as you should remember from your school
days (elementary physics).

It is as much a matter of leverage as quantity. Ivy IN THE CANOPY
can break quite large branches, but ivy ON JUST THE MAIN BRANCHES
will do so only if they are already completely rotten.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In article ,
Donnie wrote:
Exactly. (but perhaps there should have been a smiley)
;-( I haven't seen a rat (or any dormice, shrews, foxes
or housemice) for ages, but I know they are around John

How?
Eh? Because of their traces, just as I haven't seen the
neighbour's dog for a few days, but I know it's been outside
the front of our house

--
John Mulrooney
NOTE Email address IS correct but might not be checked for a while.

About 95% of quoted statistics are probably made up

So, does ivy really choke trees?
 

In article ,
john brook wrote:


if you look for them it may surprise to see how very
thick main branches are brought down.
Even the mistletoe is enough to catch the wind in some trees
and make them sway much more than the trees without it. In
winter when the leaves have been shed it can be quite
noticeable

--
John Mulrooney
NOTE Email address IS correct but might not be checked for a while.

To die completely a person must not only forget, but be forgotten