Please help me with removing these crazy massive ivy of my tree!
Sucating
Posts: 2
These massive ivy, as you can see from the photos, have already taken from bottom to the top of half the tree. And because it is so thick, I don't even know where to start from.
This view is from my garden. Because at the back of my garden is a big nature reserve, so literally there are a lot of tree just at the another side of the fence, which means the roots are definitely from the woodland.
This is the view from nature reserve side, just at back of my garden. Look at those crazy branches.
For some reason I can't get a tree surgeon to help me, I kind of have to try it by myself. Watched a few YouTube how-to videos, found that their advice wouldn't be practical on my case.
Except there is video rather helpful with suggestions of tools, like chainsaw. However, chainsaw is just so pricey to hire, checked Hss, tool rental, is £122.26/day. The video also suggest machete, but I am not sure whether that work on the tick roots.
I might try to give council a call, to see they can send anyone to help my tree get out from the hell. Oh my poor tree!!! sad
Last edited: 16 August 2016 02:12:12
Posts
Sorry the key board run out of batteries Brexit I finished the post, and there website didn't let me edit it again, because it's been created more than 5 minutes. Have to use my phone to finish what I left to say.
Any advise, suggestions, or even similar case happened on you will help too.
Thank you so much for spending your time on reading my post, I appreciate it. Hope I can hear from any of you soon!
Sucating, not all the leaves I am looking at are ivy but look like bindweed. This is a big problem to get rid of but I would start by just cutting through and pulling out every stem and I appreciate that this is going to take a long, long time but short of that I couldn't recommend a weed killer as it could damage the tree. Even cutting all the stems will help by killing all the growth above and eventually you may be able to see where all the dead lengths of bindweed are and pull them out.
Last edited: 16 August 2016 07:02:40
You don't need a chain saw either, just a decent pair of secateurs (much cheaper and safer!)and plenty of patience. Cut through the stems individually - you don't have to do them all at once
- and when the tree has lost its leaves in the autumn it will be a bit easier to see where the stems go. They won't be very strong individually, but wiill be all tangled together. You may be able to pull some down with something like a rake. It is very likely thay you won't be able to get them all out of the tree, but they won't be doing any harm at this stage. Dredge up some more patience and wait for wind, weather and bacteria to work their magic and weaken them so that they either fall or can be removed more easily.
In the spring watch out for regrowth on the bindweed and pull it out as soon as you see it. You will have to keep doing this over and over again - and every spring thereafter! (more patience needed
) but as Ladybird says weedkiller will harm the tree more than the bindweed has.
If there is indeed ivy under there as well, then you may need loppers for the stems, but the principle is the same - cut them off at the root and remove what you can and let nature do the rest.
It's a pity Garden Centres can't sell patience in a bottle, it often does far more good than the stuff they do sell
Good Luck!
Whatever you do it's going to be spidery
Good luck, I'd cut all the stems off at the bottom too.
Cut the ivy stems as near to the ground as you can, and pull any of the stems you can get at off the tree. The plant above the cut will obviously die and you will then be able to see any new growth and just pull that off.
It's going to be virtually impossible to remove the ivy roots, so controlling it is really the only other option.
This is gonna be a long job.. Been fighting the same battle for years.. I cut all the vines at the base too, pulled off as much as possible but... The problem is eachlittle bit of Ivy that falls to the ground or even in the fork of a tree, will regrow.. So its like painting the Forth Bridge, its never ending.. But Good Luck, Round up doesn't work it only kills the leaves it lands on it does not kill the roots..
Last edited: 16 August 2016 14:36:33
Some of that looks like Russian vine, just cut through it all an try to get any that is coming through your boundary. Ivy can have quite thick stems, cut or saw through the stems and then do it again about six to nine inches higher. pull out the length that you have cut. Don't worry to much about pulling the rest off once you have cut through it, leave it to die off for a year, you will probably find it easier to remove then as it gets brittle.
I've blown them all up and can't see any ivy at all, I think it's all Russian Vine as Fritillary suggested.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I know someone who inherited a Russian vine growing up a large tree and it looks very much the same as in the photos, but where are the white flowers, have they been and gone?
The white flowers aren't there for long, but they're very noticeable when they are there. Sucating, you don't need a tree surgeon to cut this stuff at the base, if it's too big a job for you, most gardeners would tackle it
In the sticks near Peterborough