Ivy invasion
Phasmid
Posts: 41
I have a garage which has ivy growing all over the roof. Pic below. This is only my second year in the house and it has grown by a third in volume so I definitely need to do something to control it. Partly because I must prevent it from starting to cover the neighbours garage roof (it's a joint driveway/double garage) and partly because I can't just let it grow exponentially and it's already starting to envelope a palm tree growing nearby.
I dont want want to remove it particularly (unless someone more experienced feels it would be wise) because when it flowers it's a haven for bees and other insects.
It's too large and high to trim manually with secaturs or my tree lopper (there's also a huge pampas next to it which limits access from the ground) but, having experimented, I think that with a ladder me and OH could give it an all over trim once or twice a year with a long bladed hedge trimmer. We have access at the front and back (from the front and back gardens respectively) but not so much the side due to aforementioned monster pampas.
My questions are:
1. Any recommendations for good quality long bladed hedge trimmers? As always money is tight but obviously willing to pay for quality and longevity.
2. Any alternative solutions?
3. Is this something I might be better off paying someone to do and has anyone done so? Is it hugely expensive?
any advice would be most gratefully received!
FP
P.s I only recently learned that pampas grass is not "pampers grass" and always thought it was spelt like the nappy brand!!!
Posts
Haven for the birds and the bees is one thing; a plant out of control is another.
Better you tackle it now, than receive a solicitor's letter later.
WelshOnion is right - you need to bring the ivy under control, as they grow very fast. They are also very strong growers, and it will get under your tiles and damage the roof.
It will need to be cut back at least a couple of times a year at that size. Light trimming won't do because the weight will become enormous in a short space of time.
I can only echo what the others have said above. Three weeks after moving into this house and garden, a heavy rainstorm weighed down the ivy on the fences so much that it pulled the fence right down, necessitating the replacement of about 50metres of fencing - an expense we could have done without just after moving! Good luck!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I agree with those above, when we moved into our house 10 years ago there were huge Ivy plants all up the side of the garage and along a 10ft high ragstone wall.
It took quite a bit of work but we cut it right back really hard (we found it had gone under the garage roof and was in danger of causing real problems). Some of the trunks were huge and we actually severed them and applied a strong weedkiller but they continued to grow, presumably from where they had rooted elsewhere.
We now keep it under control with a yearly trim with hedge-trimmers and it produces flowers and is always covered in bees and butterflies and the woodpigeons fight over the berries
I would advise getting it under control as soon as you can, it will take a bit of work but be well worth it. Also I would wear a mask when dealing with Ivy as I found it gave me a sore throat.
Thanks everyone. Welshonion It's too high to reach with just secaturs even with a ladder which is why I was thinking of using a long hedge trimmer plus ladder to reach? Will this not be strong enough do you think? With secaturs we can only reach the bottom of it even at the very top of the ladder.
Bit worried about the ivy dust - do you know if it can be harmful when pregnant? I've tried google but nothing!
You could start by cutting through the main stems close to the ground - you will need big loppers and/or a saw to do this. This should cause dieback above. I found I could stand on the ground and yank upwards, pulling the ivy away from the wall it was growing up. I'm sure a hedgetrimmer will only cut off leaves and young stems. Sorry but you might need scaffolding to get it off the roof safely.
Force your way through the plant to the gable end of the garage and cut or saw the ivy stems right across the wall. Make sure there is a gap between the two cut ends of the stems or they will grow together again.
Sadly this is all going to look very ugly, but this ivy has been allowed to get out of hand. Pop into the garage and check if it is growing under the roof inside.
If you or your partner (sorry don't know which is which from your name) is pregnant, they shouldn't be going up ladders if they are not used to it. (As a dairy farmer, now retired, I didn't let pregnancy get in the way of such normal activities as climbing ladders and milking cows - chance would have been a fine thing ).
I only mention the ivy dust because in the context of sugarcraft, ivy leaves have to be washed before sugarpaste is pressed onto them. I don't think you should worry about it because in that instance the icing is going to be eaten.