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Garden Gate:  Ivy slowly choking my dogwood tree  |
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LisaBee
True Blue Farmgirl
149 Posts
Lisa
Sparta
TN
USA
149 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 19 2005 : 12:23:09 AM
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| I have noticed that one of my trees is full of ivy - twisting all the way up through the branches. I think the previous owners of the house planted it as a border around the base of the tree. How do I kill the ivy (without pesticides) before it kills my tree? The only solution I was given (even after I said I want to treat my yard organically) was to cut the ivy at the base and stick the ends into a jar of Round-Up, where they would suck it up like a straw and send it through the vines. Does anyone have a better solution than this? Thanks. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2005 : 12:57:16 AM
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| Maybe try the same thing with either pure bleach or vinegar? |
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LisaBee
True Blue Farmgirl
149 Posts
Lisa
Sparta
TN
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2005 : 01:06:34 AM
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| Thanks for the vinegar and bleach ideas. I am going to try the vinegar first and see what happens over the winter. |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2005 : 03:50:14 AM
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| What kind of ivy is it? English ivy? Boston ivy? English ivy has dark green glossy leaves and can get thick woody stems. Boston ivy is deciduous and loses all its leaves in the winter. I have English ivy climbing up one of my siberian maple trees and it is not killing it. I know in Tenn. ivy can be more of a problem, however, because of your milder climate. Here, if the ivy climbs unwanted on a house or into a tree, we just cut it and pull it off. I don't see the need to use any herbicide, natural or not. If you cut the ivy at the bottom, the top runners will die -- Roundup would be used if one wants to kill the roots in the ground. Is the ivy shading out the dogwood leaves? Is it hanging from the top of the tree or from the branches? You might want to ask your university extension whether the ivy will really kill the tree -- it may not. Hope this helps. |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2005 : 06:48:45 AM
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I would cut it off at the roots, let it die, then pull it out of the tree. Unless you get the roots out of the ground it will grow back. But if you just keep an eye on it and pull it out everytime it starts to grow you should be able to keep a handle on it. We have a very mild climate here and ivy just takes over everything. I hate it.
I'm still hot...it just comes in flashes. |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2005 : 5:02:17 PM
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I would be worried about any chemical you use leaching into the soil and poisoning the tree you are wanting to save. I would cut it myself. I hate ivy and would never plant it, but I've also bought houses that have many things I would never plant.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2005 : 7:30:56 PM
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| We like the ivy, but only about three feet up the tree. When our english ivy gets taller than that, we chop it off and let it die - by then you can more easily remove it from the upper branches. |
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Garden Gate: Ivy slowly choking my dogwood tree |
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Ivy slowly choking my dogwood tree
