Neighbour growing ivy up our wall

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Neighbour growing ivy up our wall
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frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:22 pm Post subject: Neighbour growing ivy up our wall
I didn't realise our neighbour has been growing ivy up our gable wall for years (so they don't have to look out of their patio doors onto a bare brick wall). Now it's right up to the roof ! So I have asked them to cut it down and he has agreed to weedkill it next weekend. How soon before I get to see this damn stuff dying? Will it even touch it? The plant must be about 30 feet tall

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:24 pm Post subject:
could he get in at the root and just chop it? I woudl die pretty quickly and then he would just have to treat the root.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:25 pm Post subject:
Isn't ivy one of those things that worms it's way in and sends out little suckers to start sub-plants? I think it's quite hard to get rid of. (Sorry, Frewen. I'll just go and be the voice of doom over here, quietly)

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:26 pm Post subject:
That's ok - it is one reason I am hoping that systemic weedkiller might reach the whole plant?

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:29 pm Post subject:
Yes, I would think that would be a good bet. Hang on. I go to google. ETA: The Divine Alan's forum https://www.alantitchmarsh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=178 Last edited by chez on Sat Jan 28, 12 7:31 pm; edited 1 time in total

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:30 pm Post subject:
get in there with a strimmer. My old nextdoor neighbour could kill anything with one

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:32 pm Post subject:
https://www.gardenersclick.com/gardeningquestions/view/how_to_get_rid_of_ivy_once_and_for_allhelllllllllllllllllllllp And that one.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:39 pm Post subject:
I think the difficulty is going to be getting into his garden regularly enough to deal with this problem and trusting him when he says he's done it

Nell Merionwen

Joined: 02 Jun 2008
Posts: 16300
Location: Beautiful Derbyshire

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 7:41 pm Post subject:

frewen wrote:

I think the difficulty is going to be getting into his garden regularly enough to deal with this problem

and trusting him when he says he's done it

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 12 8:14 pm Post subject:
We found that killing and getting rid of ivy on the wall of a previous house was easy. The problem was the marks and tiny tags left where it had been clinging to the wall for ages and it was unsightly for years.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 12 1:43 am Post subject:

Don't know about all this talk of weedkiller.
Weedkiller won't remove it from your wall and it aint neceserely any easier to remove once it's dead.
Tell him to remove it or to pay someone else to do it.
Ladder, some sort of scraper, a mattock and some elbow grease - that's all it needs.
If its Hedera (your common ivy) then it shouldn't damage sound brickwork and will usually pull off in sheets or long pieces.
Then attack base with mattock until ground is well dug over and all roots and cuttings removed. Repeat whenever ivy regrows.
If its Virginia Creeper then that can grip hard - but that aint your problem - unless its got into brick joints.
Make sure he doesn't damage your roof verge or tiles when he removes it.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 12 10:06 am Post subject:

Nell Merionwen wrote:

...get in at the root and just chop it...

That's what I did with the ivy that was strangling the end of one of my barns. Mind you, 'just chop it' didn't work - we had to saw through it which took about an hour

It worked though - took a while (several weeks from memory) for it to start to shrivel and die away.

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 12 10:10 am Post subject:
if it's really well established, cutting the 'trunk' won't kill it

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 12 10:14 am Post subject:

toggle wrote:

if it's really well established, cutting the 'trunk' won't kill it

Perhaps it depends on the species? It worked for me.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 12 11:34 am Post subject:

IMO he has no legal right to grow ivy up your wall and is thus liable for any damaged caused.
It should be removed from wall. You don't want it rotting on your wall and channelling water into your structure.
If you leave it to die it may be harder to remove once it is brittle rather than when it is live and can be yanked off in large pieces.

Wether you have a legal right to make him dig it up I don't know. IMO he should dig it up so its gone once and for all - brute force, sweat and a mattock - that's all it needs. If he can't do it he should get someone who can.
Obviously depends on ladder access, ground conditions, type of ivy and local labour rates - but that's a �100 -�200 job. How much will he spend on weedkiller ? AND he will still need to remove it from your wall.
Forget the weedkiller - remove from wall and dig it up.

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