Rich1972 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I have two major ivy problems that I can't seem to solve. One is on the outside wall of a 35ft high hanger. I've severed the ivy at the base where it grows against the stone work and yet it still seems to be growing. I fear that it's growing up inside the wall itself, through the rubble core. It's got tree-like branches growing out of the wall at the top! Is there any way I can get rid of this pest for good before it brings the wall down? The other problem is similar, a small outbuilding that is absolutely covered from top to bottom in ivy. I've cut the roots through again and yet it's still growing. Can I inject the soil with weedkiller? Or just pour a load into the ground?? These are sizeable ivy plants though so I'm not sure it would work. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 We had a very simular problem and found a very good ivy killer ( here in the UK) All the ivy died but now we have a wall that needs to be pulled down and restarted as the branches/ roots had gone everywhere and now they have gone so has everything that was holding it up. think carefully before you kill it , is it really that bad to look at or live with and are you happy to have to rebuild the whole wall ?The stuff we used was called Ivy killer gel by growing success, you brush it on to the leaves( brush encluded in pot) and within a week the plant and roots were dead, Then there was a hugh job of removing all the dead bits clinging to the wall and where the grouting use to be and we have tried just regrouting , but the plant had shifted to many of the stones so its a rebuild job now.Given the choice again we would of just left it alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Framboise Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 You have what is now called Arborial Ivy - its not a climbing plant anymore because it has become a self-supporting tree with woody trunks. You can chop it as much a you like but you may well discover that everywhere a branchlet touched ground it formed a root to make a separate plant, therefore whatever you do will be very labour-intensive and/or very expensive. Its probably true to say that because of its ability to form new plants that the core of your walls are full of little ivies anyway, but if you rip the whole lot from the wall it will tear the stonework to pieces so either way you will have extensive works to do to rebuild or replace.Have you not considered just giving it a good haircut? If you cut back its depth and some of the more invasive branches, then give it a good tidy up it will be much improved, but personally I like ivy as it provides food and lodgings to all sorts of birds so if you can preserve it in a neater form then everyone will be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tancrède Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 [quote user="Pads"]are you happy to have to rebuild the whole wall ?[/quote]Remembering the disastrous consequences which followed the removal of a vast ivy from the gable end of a C17 farmhouse in Devon, I second Pads opinion. The cadole in my orchard is entirely submerged in arborescent ivy (presenting a most picturesque appearance) - which I do not remove in case it suddenly turns into a rockery.Roundup will kill ivy, but it may take more than one application. The glossy leaves tend to shed the spray very readily. I have overcome this in the past with the addition of a very small amount of soap, though have no idea if this is approved by the authorities.[quote user="Framboise"]I like ivy as it provides food and lodgings to all sorts of birds…[/quote]And the flowers, which are most profuse when the ivy has become arborescent, also provide a very welcome source of late nectar for bees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich1972 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 Well it looks like a no-win situation. I have no problem with the picturesqueness of the ivy sprawling over the outbuilding walls but I don't want it pulling the stone work apart. And yet this seems like a possibility no matter what I do to it. What annoys me is that ivy is such an easy thing to control on walls if you catch it in the early stages, but if left it completely takes over and you're left with ivy trees 30ft up in the air! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutiara Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Ivy can have disasterous effects to walls and roofs. We treat new shoots and leaf growths in late spring with a French product called " Debrousalleuse" ( a strong weedkiller used for bambles and Ivy). We then follow up with a secound treatment early summer. Coupled with cutting back at ground level this should kill it off. It may stay green for several weeks after treatment but the trick is to treat the new shoots so it is absorbed into the plant.Afterwards it is just a case of physically cutting it out of the building and seeing what damage has occurred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonrouge Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 We had ivy when we lived in Normandy and at the end of the summer and when it produced those sort of sweet sickly buds we were infested by wasps and hornets it was scary and the droning of all of the wasps and hornets had to be heard to be believed. Cut it down and dug it up Now in the Vendee and totally differing problems. ( I thought this area had a good micro climate) but the storms and rain to date seem to disprove this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ysatis Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I think we must have been lucky. Our barn wall was covered in thick ivy and decided to remove it and it came away more or less in one sheet. As it was peeling away I was cringing thinking that it was going to pull all the mortar/grouting (not sure what it's called) out from the stones. But thankfully it peeled away without any damage to the wall. Before (hopefully, if I've got this to work), [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/EMH_03/Ourbarnandnextdoorcloseup.jpg[/IMG] And after, [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/EMH_03/9ad60f71.jpg[/IMG] We haven't done anything about the roots, and I imagine they're still lurking in the ground as it was a sizable plant. Good luck if you choose to remove it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ysatis Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Oooops, messed about with the sizing. Edit: Took several attempts, have now resized it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich1972 Posted June 1, 2008 Author Share Posted June 1, 2008 Yesterday I started on the ivy clinging to the wall of the hanger barn! I think I'm going to have to remove it twig by twig but I managed to get a fair bit down yesterday. It doesn't appear to have damaged the earthern mortar between the joints too badly, although there are a couple of areas where I'm going to have to do some repairs. I'll remove the bulk of it and then introduce a week killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich1972 Posted June 3, 2008 Author Share Posted June 3, 2008 [quote user="Mutiara"]Ivy can have disasterous effects to walls and roofs. We treat new shoots and leaf growths in late spring with a French product called " Debrousalleuse" ( a strong weedkiller used for bambles and Ivy). We then follow up with a secound treatment early summer. Coupled with cutting back at ground level this should kill it off. It may stay green for several weeks after treatment but the trick is to treat the new shoots so it is absorbed into the plant.Afterwards it is just a case of physically cutting it out of the building and seeing what damage has occurred. [/quote]I've now moved onto the piggery which was also covered in ivy, and the prognosis is worse than it was for the hanger. The ivy must've been there for years as it's formed thick stems that run within the joints between the stonework. The tendrils have forced their way into minute cracks within the stones and ruptured the outer facing and the larger stems have twisted their way across the some stones so that the facades have split up and are falling off, plus there are patches where the mortar is almost non-existant!! Fortunately I don't think the wall needs rebuilding but the ivy has made a hell of a mess of things. I've spent hours on it earlier and only cleared about a square metre. If I can get it to die off then I can remove it more easily, but at the moment it's just a case of removing enough of the main stems to kill the bloody thing! Cutting it off at the bottom had no effect at all. Don't anyone ever be tempted to grow an ivy on their house. It's evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 What are you doing with the piggery ?We had ivy up a house wall and we still have the marks where we removed it, 3 years later !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 PM'd you Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich1972 Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 [quote user="Russethouse"]What are you doing with the piggery ?We had ivy up a house wall and we still have the marks where we removed it, 3 years later !!![/quote]HelloThe piggery is going to be for hens (well, half of it!). The rest I'm not sure about. The previous owner used half of it for piglets and the other half for the 'mother pig'. The sun is finally shining on the Charente so hopefully I can get a lot accomplised today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Don't Hens like Ivy ? [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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