Removing ivy from walls

I have been asked to clear someone's garden, part of which involves removing established ivy from an old outhouse and old brick permieter wall.

I know that the best way to do this is to sever the plant at the base, wait a number of weeks, then remove. However, I'm worried that if I do this I might damage the old brickwork and leave them with a big repair bill, or at best leave it looking unsightly with remnants of rootlets all over the place.

Any advice? Should I just kop out and tell the owners that it's best to leave it in place, but give it a hard prune to remove the worst of it?

Or prune the worst of it, chop the base, then tell them what to do once the top growth has died, then run for the hills so any damage done in removing is caused by them!?

 

The thing that I'd be worried about is if the ivy is concealing problems with the brickwork (in dire need of repointing for example), and you clean the ivy off, then the owner sees their wall to be in a right state, they may think it was somehow caused by you. But then if you explain to them in advance that there is the possibility that the ivy is hiding the true condition of the brickwork, then you can take it from there. Maybe take a patch of it off to let them inspect the condition of the wall, or maybe they might say just go ahead anyway and they'll cross that bridge if they come to it.

 

Ivy is very difficult to remove Andrew and the results are very unsightly with all the little rooty bits sticking to the wall and as you say dear knows what state the bricks are in underneath. I think I would pass up on that job and suggest you just give the ivy a good scalping to get it under control.

If the people insist on going ahead I would give them a written list of likely problems and get them to sign a statement of their own resposibility.

 

I agree with all the points above.

I would sever the bottom and leave the top to die - or additionally take a hedge trimmer to the leaves so just the stem is left clinging to the wall. Over time that will decay and the tendrils will release from the bricks and mortar joints.

Removal will leave a clear outline on the brickwork - assuming no actual damage.

Haircut, on its own, will just regrow.

One other option might be to grow something else up the ivy superstructure until it dies. Clematis or somesuch, which will come away from the way when the Ivy finally turns to dust ...

 

I could only add that it would be best to kill the roots of the ivy with brushwood killer of some such product.

 

Thanks everyone.

I think I'll go with Alice's advice - a clean up, and a warning against completely removing it unless they are happy to accept the consequences!

 

I have removed the damned stuff from walls hundreds of times, I have never had a problem with wall damage, that said I always do a test area.

The best way is to sever it at the base, loosen the first few feet of stem gently with a crowbar and pull.... with luck a large portion will come down.

Any stubborn bits, clean off with a paint scraper, I use a glass fiber telescopic paint roller handle with and adapted head to take the scraper.... keeps ladder use to a minimum. At the end of the job i treat the cut stems at ground level with ammonium sulphamate.

A word of advice, bring a spare T shirt to put on afterwards or you'll be itching for the rest of the day, the amount of insects, spiders and dust the ivy traps is unreal.

 

If it is really thick check for nests first, robins often nest in mine.

 

Especially at this time of year. But best to wait until birds have finished nesting. House sparrows nest in mine.

 

Another eco consideration which might be worth considering is that because ivy provides an ideal habit for all manner of creepy crawlies, it also acts like a big Tesco store for insectivorous birds. If you take it away, it may be worth recommending that some bird feeders are set up to replace this resource.

 

:lollol:LOL, made me smile.

 

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

 

After nipping them at the root, leave them to die off, then use a Wallpaper Scraper to remove the rest and leaving no mess, just marks as to where it was. I tried it on the front wall of our place and it worked fine.