Stop Ivy from Growing on Trees

 

Ivy is a vigorous growing vine that will grow on anything, fences, walls, and tree trunks.  At first, you may think it looks nice and you will enjoy viewing the wildlife that takes shelter amongst the ivy. But soon you will learn that ivy is killing your trees.

 

A few years ago I planted six Baltic Ivy and when it grew on my rock wall I thought it looked pretty.  I also like how the ivy seemed to hold the rocks in place.  The ivy on the wall was manageable but when it started to grow up our oak tree we were concerned. 

 

My husband removed the vines by hand, then he used a hand pruner to cut the Ivy stems at the soil line.  He then dug up the roots and pulled them out. Tree service told us that this was the best way to remove the ivy and prevent it from taking over the tree. We were told that by removing the roots that the leaves on the tree would then die.  My husband did as the tree service had recommended but the ivy roots must have been deeper than he had thought because a section did die back but it was not enough to get rid of the ivy t had grown up our tree.

 

The bare bottom of the tree is due to the pruning..we thought it was dying back.

The ivy will kill your tree.  Here are a few photos of the branches that feel recently.  You can see the thick ivy branches and leaves. The ivy is sucking the life out of the tree and if we don’t find a way to kill it we will have to cut the tree down in the spring. 

thick ivy vine growing on side of the tree

Oak Tree branch with vigorous ivy vine 

Planting Oak Trees with Spouse

When it comes to planning the gardens and landscape I usually do all the drawings then my husband will help me with the labor. My spouse is someone who would rather watch the garden shows on TV than actually go out in the yard and create a specialty garden or plant a tree. However, if someone asks him a question about gardening he will give an expert opinion.

Oak trees planted 20 feet apart

Overall I like my husband helping me in the yard and garden but that is not to say that he does not get under my skin when he disagrees with me on how and where to plant trees.

A few years ago we both agreed that our landscape needed some shade trees plus we liked the idea of having a wind block in the winter and shade in our yard in the summer. We decided to plant oak trees.

I wanted to plant the trees 20 feet apart from each other and 15 feet away from the house. My husband wanted to plant the Oak trees in a row; 8 feet from the house and 12 feet apart.

I disagreed because an Oak tree needs room to grow and if it is grown too close to your house the branches will constantly need to be trimmed and the roots will grow into the foundation. Besides trees that are grown too close to each other are competing for sun, water, and soil nutrients. Too close means an unhealthy tree. So we disagreed about how many trees should be planted and where they should be planted.

If my husband thinks that he is right about where to plant the oak shade trees; in a row, 5 feet from the house and 8 feet in between the trees, then nothing I say will convince him otherwise. He has his mind made up that these trees will provide a wind block in the winter and aid in conserving energy in the summer.

Whenever my husband and I disagree I make a point to convince him otherwise by going with him to the tree nursery. Once there I will seek the tree expert and ask him for his assistance. This is the best way for me to put an end to a disagreement.

If you have a husband like mine then ask the tree expert, master gardener, or another garden expert for planting tips. Your husband will know then that you were correct, and instead of arguing with you, he will heed the expert advice on planting.

Know that I won the disagreement because the tree expert confirmed what I said was correct. He was diplomatic and did not say your wife is correct, he just repeated what I had said. My husband knew I was right and he will never question me again about planting trees, but he will never admit that I was right because it’s a “guy thing”.

Learn more about growing Oak trees.