I have a tree badly covered with ivy. Is the correct procedure to sever the
ivy, pull it off the tree and then dig out the ivy roots.


--
Art

Garden Web http://www.gardenweb.com
My Garden Web exchange page http://www.gardenweb.com/members/exch/art1952

"Carol Russell" wrote in message
...
I have a tree badly covered with ivy. Is the correct procedure to sever
the
ivy, pull it off the tree and then dig out the ivy roots.


You might find it easier to do just the first two, and then just cut off new
growth as it reoccurs. Ivy can be v difficult to dig out and you may well
damage the tree roots. I killed some ivy this year(at the base of a brick
wall) by doing this after I found it too difficult to get all the roots out
and its worked, I didnt get much regrowth and removing that seems to have
done the trick. I am still working on some other ivy that was covering an
area about 1m by 2m, after cutting it to ground level I have covered it with
black polythene (Its in an unconspicuous area of my garden!) and am waiting
until spring before trying to get the roots out.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks before replying (but no email reply necessary to newsgroups)

"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Carol wrote in message
I have a tree badly covered with ivy. Is the correct procedure to sever
the
ivy, pull it off the tree and then dig out the ivy roots.


Do you need to? Ivy is the winter home for some of our small birds
especially Wrens.


I always smile at that argument. :-) The amount of habitat damage that an
individual can do is miniscule compared to the national ivy population. You
might just as well say
"Don't cut your grass. You are damaging essential habitat for larks, linnets
and corncrakes. Don't kill off those nettles. They are an essential food
source for caterpillars. Don't paint your eaves woodwork. It will make a
wonderful lichen and fungus habitat."
There must be acres of uninhabited ivy just waiting for prospective wrens to
occupy.

--
ned

"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"ned" wrote in message

snip
There must be acres of uninhabited ivy just waiting for prospective
wrens to occupy.

There might be where you live but there ain't round here.


Very true. My views are coloured by an ivy and nettle infested rural
location. So, in future I'll smile privately. :-))

--
ned

In article , "Duncan Russell"
wrote:
I know it's drastic, and exagerating but if gardeners join in the fight to
exterminate everything useful to wildlife as well, then I would imagine
the
world is going to become a very sorry place indeed.

Well said! But with luck the ivy will get its own back. The dead ivy stalks
left on the tree after its roots have been severed will in 6 months or so
fall off as a heavy clump, hopefully fatally injuring its murderer - one
less human to destroy the planet.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Moynagh

In article , ned
writes


Perhaps saving the ivy is just a way of salving the guilty gardening
conscience.
:-)

This is a personal opinion, but it is also expressed by arborculturists
and forestry people who know a good deal more about trees than I.

When ivy is seen growing up a tree, it is often assumed by gardeners to
be 'attacking' or setting about to harm the tree and finally to kill it.
In some cases this may be true, but it is more often the case that the
tree is already sick or in trouble of some kind and the ivy is growing
up it in preparation to act in its natural role of scavenging.

As the ivy develops, the tree deteriorates and finally dies, giving
every impression that the ivy killed it. If left to do so, the ivy will
remain on the tree until it is all gone, stump, roots and all. We often
have questions about stump removal in this group and that is nature's
way of doing it - if given the time.

In some cases, when ivy is seen to be starting to grow up a tree, that
can be taken by gardeners as an early warning that the tree needs more
attention than just removing the ivy. I saved a very old Cox's apple
like that. It had become smothered in ivy and had given up fruiting. We
had replaced it with a young Sunset because we thought it to be lost.
I took all the ivy off the Cox's and removed a lot of old and dead
branches etc. The tree is now back to full health and vigour and free of
ivy. It and the Sunset apple seem to vie with each other each year now
to see which can produce the better crop.
--
Alan & Joan Gould, North Lincs.

In article , ned
writes

Indeed. Every weed is simply a natural plant which the 'arrogant'
gardener decides is spoiling the look of his/her grand plan.

Er . . not entirely!!
The thing about 'weeds' is that they are thugs.
They multiply and multiply and don't give the more 'delicate' plants a
chance. I know the brutal fact of nature is survival of the fittest and
I know dandelions are pretty but I do want to see a bit of variety in my
garden so I have a bit of a tussle with mother nature in the bit of
space that 'belongs' to me )))))))))
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

On Wed, 23 Oct 2002 23:29:46 +0100, "ned" wrote:

Indeed. Every weed is simply a natural plant which the 'arrogant'
gardener decides is spoiling the look of his/her grand plan.

That's no criticism at all. You are beating a straw man you have
erected. Gardens are by ~definition~ artificial assemblages in
which certain plants are wanted and all others unwanted.

Moreover, your definition of weed is far too broad. Most common
weeds (in common parlance) are plants found natively in sites
where the earth is continually disturbed -- a slow landslip is
one such site. That's why weeds do so well in cultivated ground.
Take humanity out of the picture, stop cultivating, and most of
these weeds would become rather rare plants because there are so
few suitable natural sites for them.

Moreover, such weeds (and most common weeds are of this class)
actually occur unnaturally, having been spread by man himself via
cultivation, both horticultural and agricultural.

Any gardener worth their salt knows perfectly well the difference
between a weed and a volunteer seedling (as likely as not of an
exotic species anyway) that has placed itself inesthetically. You
further betray your ignorance by failing to remark on the
frequency with which gardeners write about volunteer seedlings
turning out to be perfectly placed, even if not according to
plan. And to think that gardeners have some Grand Plan or Scheme?
Ludicrous: most gardens are like my own, developed piecemeal over
many years with the guiding prinicple being "I wonder what will
grow there?"

Finally, you try to tar gardeners as "arrogant". Quite the
contrary. Most gardeners are humble: they know they can't do a
lot about climate and soil, and that the plants have to thrive on
their own. You can't make a plant thrive if it doesn't want to.
All you can do is offer encouragement and good conditions and
then hope for the best.

Oh, well, I guess it doesn't hurt to set up a straw man and give
it a few whacks now and then. Heave to, my good man!


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

In article ,
(Jane Ransom) wrote:

The thing about 'weeds' is that they are thugs.
They multiply and multiply and don't give the more 'delicate' plants a
chance.

So what's the difference between weeds and good "ground cover"?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

In article , Steve
Harris writes
In article ,
(Jane Ransom) wrote:

The thing about 'weeds' is that they are thugs.
They multiply and multiply and don't give the more 'delicate' plants a
chance.

So what's the difference between weeds and good "ground cover"?

I suppose ground cover is just that - something that spreads from a
central 'root' as it were. It's easy to chop off round the edges to stop
it encroaching. Weeds (in the dandelion, dock, thistle etc category)
spread seeds everywhere and do not stay in just one central spot and
consequently are difficult to control.
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

In article , Carol Russell Russells@
queenborough42.freeserve.co.uk writes
I have a tree badly covered with ivy. Is the correct procedure to sever the
ivy, pull it off the tree and then dig out the ivy roots.


Carol you have seen all the 'Tree Huggers' replies and what should and
should not be done. Well, as someone else has pointed out, it is 'your'
garden for a few years for you to do what you wish, so do what 'you'
want to do.

We had a very old Apple Tree in our last garden and just like your tree
it had a lot of Ivy growing up it. I cut the Ivy stem and kept the tree
clear.

The Earth is reputed to be 36 Thousand Million Years old. How long has
'Man' been on it? Well it has been said that if the age of the Earth is
related to a 24 hour clock, we have been on this Earth since 23.59.30.

It doesn't matter what you as 'an individual' do, Nature will 'correct'
it after you have gone:-((

Look at the Twyford Gap on the M3 near Winchester, colouring over all
ready :-))

Mike
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and
taste good with ketchup.

"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in
message ...
snip
Moreover, such weeds (and most common weeds are of this class)
actually occur unnaturally, having been spread by man himself via
cultivation, both horticultural and agricultural.


Since when are people not 'natural'?

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks before replying (but no email reply necessary to newsgroups)

"Mike" wrote in message
...
In article , Carol Russell
Russells@
queenborough42.freeserve.co.uk writes
I have a tree badly covered with ivy. Is the correct procedure to
sever the
ivy, pull it off the tree and then dig out the ivy roots.


Carol you have seen all the 'Tree Huggers' replies and what should
and
should not be done. Well, as someone else has pointed out, it is
'your'
garden for a few years for you to do what you wish, so do what 'you'
want to do.

We had a very old Apple Tree in our last garden and just like your
tree
it had a lot of Ivy growing up it. I cut the Ivy stem and kept the
tree
clear.

The Earth is reputed to be 36 Thousand Million Years old. How long
has
'Man' been on it? Well it has been said that if the age of the Earth
is
related to a 24 hour clock, we have been on this Earth since
23.59.30.

It doesn't matter what you as 'an individual' do, Nature will
'correct'
it after you have gone:-((

Look at the Twyford Gap on the M3 near Winchester, colouring over
all
ready :-))


:-))
Nice summation Mike.
As you see Carol, there are few right or wrong answers to be had but,
lots of shades of grey. Every argument will have its protagonists. And
sometimes, even highly respected scientific minds will disagree.
No matter what you do, you won't please everyone.

--
ned

"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in
message ...
On Wed, 23 Oct 2002 23:29:46 +0100, "ned" wrote:

Indeed. Every weed is simply a natural plant which the 'arrogant'
gardener decides is spoiling the look of his/her grand plan.


big snip

Finally, you try to tar gardeners as "arrogant".

......Errr, not quite. The use of the adjective "arrogant" implies a
'class' of gardeners - not 'all' gardeners.
You surely don't think I would class myself as an arrogant gardener,
do you?
:-))
I'm the one who nurtures all the exotics which spring up under the
bird seed feeder.
:-))

--
ned

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , ned
writes


Perhaps saving the ivy is just a way of salving the guilty
gardening
conscience.
:-)

This is a personal opinion, but it is also expressed by
arborculturists
and forestry people who know a good deal more about trees than I.

When ivy is seen growing up a tree, it is often assumed by gardeners
to
be 'attacking' or setting about to harm the tree and finally to kill
it.
In some cases this may be true, but it is more often the case that
the
tree is already sick or in trouble of some kind and the ivy is
growing
up it in preparation to act in its natural role of scavenging.


I have yet to come across an ivy seedling with the intelligence to
select an ailing tree. They are all opportunists who will clamber up
anything and everything which is adjacent. Your implication is that
every tree is, by definition, sick or ailing. I hope this is not so.
And much as I defend the tree, I can't see ivy as a natural scavenger.
The only thing that comes naturally to it , is procreating. I may be
wrong (Good heavens, surely not) but I think ivy has to climb to
flower. A pollination requirement perhaps. I cannot recall seeing any
flowers or fruit at ground level.

--
ned