Ivy

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If an ivy had attached itself to paintwork, any easy way of removing its adhesive after removing the ivy - other than by sanding?

[Jeff Layman]

I doubt it. Might be worth trying a pressure cleaner on a small area first to see if that helps at all.

[michael adams]

It's not adhesive. Its almost microscopic tendrils right on the ends of the roots which creep into pores in the brickwork or any other surface. If the inside of the pore forms a cavity then the tendril will grow into that and won't easily pull out without snapping. Given which wired brushing or heat guns applied to the surface can't really eradicate the stuff in the pores.

Its a well known problem; at least for people who worry about tendrils in their pores.

michael adams

...

[Brian Gaff]

Yes indeed. I guess ivy originally climbed up rock and developed this adoption, but it certainly does cause problems for buildings, no matter how rustic and attactive it may look. I know that one house around here needed all the render taking off as the Ivy had blown a lot of it and it actually started to come away as the ivy was removed. Brian

[Rob Morley]

Remove the ivy by killing it and leaving it a while before you pull it off - that way you don't get as much left behind (and don't remove as much of your soft old bricks, which is my problem with it). Then I'd have thought rub it down with wire wool, if the paint is smooth enough not to snag it all to bits.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Is there an easy way to kill ivy? This one is pretty well established.

As regards gardening most of the things I plant die. Everything else is eternal.

[michael adams]

Find where its entering the ground and cut the stems there. You may need a prunung saw. Leave it for a few weeks and that will show whether you've cut all the stems or there are any you've missed.

Don't pull it down all in one lump as that will simply pull down all the stems large and small in one go, leaving the tendrils behind. Take it off in stages leaving just the smallest stems still sticking to the wall. Gently levering these off will give a better chance of bringing the tendrils with them.

michael adams

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[michael adams]

Of course that won't actually kill; it but will provide a short term solution to its climbing up the walls.

If you actually want to kill it, apparently stem injection with glyphosate is effective in the dormant season. There's plenty of info on the web.

michael adams

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[Rob Morley]

Yet another thing to get done in the garden before everything starts growing /again/. The neighbours opposite call it "the jungle", we like to think of it as wildlife-friendly but there's only so much that the plants can take over before I have to do something about it.

[michael adams]

All creepers are fine by me, until they look like reaching the gutters.

Horizontal growth can also a pain but is easier to get at where necessary.

michael adams

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[Dave Plowman (News)]

That was my mantra. Spent a fortune having it landscaped and planted to be maintenance free. Discover it no longer was when you can't get into it.

[fred]

It grows up the wall of the garage and seeks entry through the smallest fissure into the interior of same garage. Real p.i.t.a.

[Rob Morley]

It's totally invaded our greenhouse, which hasn't been used for a while. It's not easy to remove it from between the glass panes because they're so easy to break.

[stuart noble]

IME ivy roots are shallow, and a paint scraper deals with the tendrils. Bit of a doddle really

[Tim+]

On a flat surface maybe, but a scraper isn?t much use on a rendered wall. As I mentioned ages ago, when I removed mine I found a blowtorch and wire brush pretty effective (for rendered surfaces). Obviously only useful if you?re planning on repainting.

Tim

[news]

If it's a thick stem drill a 13mm hole in the base and hammer an ecoplug in, failing that fill the hole with neat glyphosate and plug it with clay.

Drax root, ammonium sulphamate, out is only available as a compost accelerator now

AJH

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Thanks - instructions I can understand and follow. But what is an ecoplug, and where can I buy them?

[Fredxxx]

First hit, neat glyphosate and a clay plug might be cheaper.

[Vir Campestris]

suggests they are an expensive but safe way to deliver glyphosate.

Andy

[news]

Well you will have seen what they are by now, a bit expensive if you only need one and you may have a little difficulty buying them or glyphosate unless you know a farmer or lads doing tree cutting for the railway.

or if you are in no hurry my e-mail address should work.

AJH