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<b>Punches</b>
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Consider the lovely and ubiquitous English ivy.
With its shiny, heart-shaped leaves and readily trailing vines, it has served faithfully as a ground cover and fence-climber for generations. And with good cause — it’s both lovely and rugged. It will thrive with limited water, on poor soils, in sunlight or shade and is resistant to disease, insects and animals. Once established it requires little attention, just occasional trimming to keep it within its intended boundaries.
And therein lies the problem. Eventually, most landscaping features get left untended. Many plants die without care, but English ivy goes feral. It spreads with the determination of a well-trained army, occupying progressively more territory, employing basic military strategy: Take the high ground and hold it.
With its shiny, heart-shaped leaves and readily trailing vines, it has served faithfully as a ground cover and fence-climber for generations. And with good cause — it’s both lovely and rugged. It will thrive with limited water, on poor soils, in sunlight or shade and is resistant to disease, insects and animals. Once established it requires little attention, just occasional trimming to keep it within its intended boundaries.
And therein lies the problem. Eventually, most landscaping features get left untended. Many plants die without care, but English ivy goes feral. It spreads with the determination of a well-trained army, occupying progressively more territory, employing basic military strategy: Take the high ground and hold it.
English ivy does this with vengeance, particularly after escaping into a forested environment. It marches steadily across the forest floor, displacing native vegetation and climbing every tree it encounters, killing by shading and crowding.
Even a lofty tree is not immune to English ivy, which will readily scale these heights and spread throughout the tree’s branches until its leaves are entirely overshadowed. Sunlight on leaves means food production, and no sun equals no food equals death. Being invaded by English ivy is a matter of life and death.
Let’s drop our metaphor and get down to business – untended English ivy is big trouble for wooded areas. Abandoned ivy has spread over considerable areas in parks and at the edges of human-inhabited areas. Once entrenched, it’s very difficult to displace.
If you been invaded by English ivy, you’d best get to work (and I do mean “work”). If you’re accustomed to taking the easy approach to weed management (herbicides), you’ll find English ivy highly resistant. You’re probably better served by taking a manual approach with this species. Suit up first, as touching English ivy can induce poison ivy-like reactions in some people. Long sleeves, long pants, and gloves are warranted.
If the ivy is climbing a tree, sever the vine near the tree’s base. The “disconnected” ivy should be left hanging in the tree; it will die and fall on its own. (Trying to pull it down could cause significant branch damage.)
Attack ivy ground mats with a “cut and roll” technique. Use a shovel to cut the ivy into strips a couple feet wide, then pull and roll one strip at a time. Another approach is to “rough up” the ivy leaves with a weed-eater, then follow promptly with a treatment of Roundup or Garlon (or similar herbicide – no endorsement intended – follow the label).
Do you have English ivy in your landscape? Keep it confined! Trim it regularly and do not let it spread into forested areas. Better yet, remove and replace it with a less invasive ground cover.
Want advice on managing this and other forest-invading plants? Give us a call. We can point you to tactics and tools that can give you the upper hand in the battle against invasive species.
<i>John Punches is the Extension Forestry Agent and Staff Chair for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at john.punches@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.</i>
Even a lofty tree is not immune to English ivy, which will readily scale these heights and spread throughout the tree’s branches until its leaves are entirely overshadowed. Sunlight on leaves means food production, and no sun equals no food equals death. Being invaded by English ivy is a matter of life and death.
Let’s drop our metaphor and get down to business – untended English ivy is big trouble for wooded areas. Abandoned ivy has spread over considerable areas in parks and at the edges of human-inhabited areas. Once entrenched, it’s very difficult to displace.
If you been invaded by English ivy, you’d best get to work (and I do mean “work”). If you’re accustomed to taking the easy approach to weed management (herbicides), you’ll find English ivy highly resistant. You’re probably better served by taking a manual approach with this species. Suit up first, as touching English ivy can induce poison ivy-like reactions in some people. Long sleeves, long pants, and gloves are warranted.
If the ivy is climbing a tree, sever the vine near the tree’s base. The “disconnected” ivy should be left hanging in the tree; it will die and fall on its own. (Trying to pull it down could cause significant branch damage.)
Attack ivy ground mats with a “cut and roll” technique. Use a shovel to cut the ivy into strips a couple feet wide, then pull and roll one strip at a time. Another approach is to “rough up” the ivy leaves with a weed-eater, then follow promptly with a treatment of Roundup or Garlon (or similar herbicide – no endorsement intended – follow the label).
Do you have English ivy in your landscape? Keep it confined! Trim it regularly and do not let it spread into forested areas. Better yet, remove and replace it with a less invasive ground cover.
Want advice on managing this and other forest-invading plants? Give us a call. We can point you to tactics and tools that can give you the upper hand in the battle against invasive species.
<i>John Punches is the Extension Forestry Agent and Staff Chair for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at john.punches@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.</i>
