Undoubtedly, ivy can look quite attractive in a garden. After all, it is a lush vine that wraps around trees. However, what you may not realize is that they have the potential to do your trees some serious harm.
Ivy Is Always Bad News for Trees
For starters, your tree and the ivy would now have to start relying on the same supply of nutrients and water. Because the ivy tends to act more aggressively, there is a good chance that the tree would no longer get all of the nutrition it needs in order to grow and survive. At the same time, ivy growth can also crowd tree branches. This, in turn, can effectively block trees from getting enough sunlight, which they need in order to make food. Ivy can also significantly weaken a tree, so much so that it would no longer be able to protect itself from rodents. This is why eventually, a tree could die as a result of being surrounded by ivy. In fact, there are various kinds of ivy that can degrade a tree’s health in no time. Here are some common kinds of ivy that you should keep from getting wrapped around your trees:
English Ivy
Although the English ivy probably doesn’t mean to harm trees, it often adds moisture to the tree’s bark. This attracts bugs which can accelerate rotting in a tree. Moreover, because of the weight of this ivy while wrapped around, the tree becomes prone to toppling over in under severe weather conditions.
Wisteria Ivy
Wisteria ivy is most often known in its ability to strangle trees. They wrap their vines around the tree so well that it puts so much weight on trunks, stressing out the trees as they weaken and eventually die. This kind of ivy is also quite a challenge to remove so it is always better to let professionals take care of it.
Poison Ivy
Aside from being a health hazard to humans, poison ivy can also strangle a tree. The moment it reaches the tree canopy, it would eventually block the sunlight so the tree begins to die. When you are dealing with poison ivy, however, the risks in removing them are much greater. That’s because this kind of ivy can readily cause rashes. Not to mention, this kind of plant has an oily resin known as urushiol. When contacted airborne, it can adversely affect a person’s lungs.
If you see any of these kinds of ivy wrapping around your trees, call for a tree service expert as soon as possible. Do not attempt to remove them on your own as you may get injured trying to get the job done. Professionals can remove ivy vines efficiently without causing damage to trunks and branches – and that’s something your trees will be grateful for.
Sources:
Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac, medicinenet.com
Take Ivy Off Trees, treestewards.org
Wisteria (alias; Wisteria sinensis), poison-ivy-patrol.com
English Ivy Tree Damage: Tips On Removing Ivy From Trees. gardeningknowhow.com
Does English Ivy Circling a Tree Kill the Tree?, homeguides.sfgate.com
