Ivy - the spawn of the devil?

Remove all of it.

I've let ivy grow up the back of the house, as it looks quite picturesque. However, now it's reached first floor level and is growing over the window panes, I'm beginning to have second thoughts as to the advisability of letting it rampage.

Any advice?

If it's not destroying any brickwork or undermining the mortar it's your call, but regular attending to is essential to prevent it going mad

cut it off oin the maiin stems below the level you want. Above that it does and then can be pulled away later with minimal damage.

Personaally I think its massively destructive.

..........and it will fill your upstairs rooms with creepie crawlies. If yo u like the look get a creeper instead

Kill it!

Friends of mine bought a property at auction that hadn't been lived-in for 25+ years, although the grounds had been maintained for all that time, nobody thought to do anything about the ivy that eventualy reached the top of the chimneys ... it took a lot of clearing!

On Saturday 28 September 2013 23:38 GB wrote in uk.d-i-y:

It's gotto me "managed", usually once a year, brutually.

Round here, you often see a pro up a ladder for 1-2 days under the pay of the owner dealing with the "whole wall" ivy.

It needs to go. If it gets on the roof it will lift slates/tiles, possibly breaking them.

Cut the main "trunk" and poison the root with Roundup. You will have to pull the stuff strand by strand off the wall. Start at the top There will likely be some damage when you do this. Depends on howcareful you are and the condition of the wall.

On Sunday 29 September 2013 08:41 Andy Burns wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Don't overlook thta if it is not causing damage to the wall then it is adding a layer of isulation (stilled air) and is also offering rain shielding of the wall.

Some wall types can be damaged badly by ivy - but for those that aren't, there are benefits.

Cut the stems at ground level and let it die off before removing. The sooner you do it the less damage to your property.

Plant a Russian Vine instead - pretty white flowers

I removed an ivy from a Victorian brick wall some years ago. The only problem was that it had got under the roof slates, but damage to the yellow bricks was minimal, and the roots were easy to dig out.

Just don't dump it outside the back gate of my house as someone local to me seems to have done..grin. What is the outside surface of the wall finished in? Ivy can bore holes in most things over time and blow render quite successfully. Brian

Sounds like there might be an opening for artificial plastic Ivy then. Brian

In message , Nthkentman writes

That's a very informative link.

I had a lot of ivy on my house, and although not as spectacular as the Street View example, had invaded the roof and the loft. I removed most of it, and now have only a small patch, which I keep strictly under control.

I've also got some Virginia Creeper, which although equally invasive, is easily pulled away from the wall.

As

It needs to be controlled, otherwise it can block gutters and may provide a path for mice to reach the upper floor.

Colin Bignell

Thanks all.

It's brickwork, and I don't think there's much damage done yet, but I'll cut it back really, really drastically.

Whatever else you do, DON'T plant a Russian Vine. It's infinitely worse than mere ivy! Another name for them is 'mile a minute', which should tell you something. It's very fast growing and highly invasive. It's a member of the knotweed family (botanical name Fallopia baldschuanica), and related to Japanese knotweed (botanical name Fallopia japonica).

In message , Chris Hogg writes

Spoil sport!

if you leave it to die, it does a LOT less damage.