5 Reasons to Remove English Ivy From Your Tree

Sometimes we are called to a home to inspect a tree with ivy climbing on it. The homeowner will ask, "Should we remove the ivy?" The answer, always, is "YES!" (And yes, we offer to remove the ivy for the homeowner.)

A Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra being smothered by Ivy.

The same Lombardy Poplar after we cleared out the all the Ivy. It will now live.

 English ivy harms a tree in 5 ways:

1. Weight: ivy is very heavy, putting a tremendous burden on a tree. Because the ivy is evergreen, it remains vibrant and growing even while the tree is dormant. This can add strain to a tree from its weight and by catching the wind (dynamic load) during its most vulnerable months.
2. Suffocation: where there is ivy, there is little to no light getting through to the tree's leaves. Since photosynthesis is one of the primary ways a tree receives nutrients, and sunlight hitting a tree's leaves is how photosynthesis occurs, it's easy to see how ivy will prevent this process. For more info on photosynthesis, go here.
3. Constriction: like a boa constrictor, ivy grafts to itself, creating a constrictive blanket, like a sock. This prevents the tree's ability to increase its girth, a requirement a tree to support itself.
4. Nutrient Theft: at the root level, the ivy's roots will lay above a tree's roots, competing for water and other nutrients. In addition, the ivy prevents leaves and other debris from landing around the base of the tree; these organic materials provide nutrition to the tree.
5. Pore blocking: Lenticils are tree pores on the bark that allow the exchange of gases. The ivy blocks this, which interferes with a tree's basic function. For more info on lenticils, click here.

Removing English ivy is a time-intensive, challenging project. The Blooma Tree Experts can remove ivy efficiently and thoroughly, thus giving new life to a formerly constricted tree.

Here is the same Lombardy Poplar today; photo is courtesy of Google Earth:

Beautiful!