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The back yard ivy has gone toward the light…
Good riddance!
I’m actually very surprised that the tree ivy has died so quickly, but I believe a combination of four factors has helped speed things along:
- We cut 2 – 3 feet of vine away from each trunk where the ivy first began creeping up the tree
- After cutting the vines and exposing the more vulnerable innards of the plant (the outside is waxy which can make it difficult to absorb anything), we treated them with an herbicide specifically designed to kill ivy.
- I have a natural black thumb; plants just prefer to die in my presence (which I used to my advantage by regularly hanging out in the back yard around the trees).
- The Georgia heat has claimed even the hardiest plants that still have their roots attached and are watered regularly.
This isn’t exactly a makeover reveal, but it’s taken us most of the summer to get this far, and I’m excited to share our progress because it seems some of my readers have had similar problems with unwanted (and untamable) ivy.
I am pretty sure that the ivy covering the ground will be considerably harder to kill off, but I may be underestimating my herbicidal talents. When most people want to see lush greenery, here I am hoping to see more of my plants turn brown :) As always, I’ll be sure to share the carnage with you as we get through it!
Wow, that's so great!! I can't wait to see your ivy naked trees :0)
Love the pic-by-pic progression of the dying ivy. Lookin' good! Hopefully it's not too hard to pull the dead vines off of the trees…
~Chelsea
I've read that dead ivy is a lot easier to pull off the tree than when it's living, so hopefully it won't be too hard. But unless the ivy comes off in large strands, we could be looking at the uppermost areas still clinging onto the trunk with no way to get them down! If we can't get at it, I'll have to add that onto the task list for when we get professionals in the yard to cut down the taller branches.
If me and my black thumb got anywhere near your plants, I'm sure I could help you out! :)
So, what was the original goal? (sorry, I not only have no green thumb, I have no horticulture knowledge). Ivy's pretty, so was it likely to cause tree disease??? Or was it just too much?
Ivy is pretty, I agree, but given that I have so many pine trees in my front and back yards, I didn't want to risk the ivy damaging the tree underneath. Weak trees that close to my house? No thanks. Experts vary on the subject but I decided I'd rather be safe than sorry.