In many gardens and parks with mature trees, you can sometimes see lush ivy tendrils climbing up the trees and hardly anything of the underlying trunk can be seen. Since ivy is a root climber, the question of the possible damage arises: will the tree suffocate under the vegetation? Do the roots of the two plant species compete with each other? Do you really always have to remove ivy?
Ivy usually does not harm trees
The common ivy as greening of surfaces and trees
Common ivy (Hedera helix) is the only root climber in the native flora. It can crawl far or climb up to 30 meters using its clinging roots. The plant is just as popular as a ground cover and as a climbing plant for greening walls, facades and tree trunks. Hedera helix is also important as a pasture for insects, because the yellow-green flowers that appear between September and October are rich in nectar. This is readily accepted by wasps, flies and numerous other insects. The blue-black, poisonous fruits ripen in spring.
Is ivy growth harmful?
Many gardeners believe that because of its roots, ivy penetrates deep into the bark of the tree, damaging it. In fact, however, on older trees with heavy bark and bark, the plant only cling superficially and only to the surface. The roots of the ivy do not penetrate the wood, do not injure the tree or take any nutrients from it. In addition, ivy is a shade plant that prefers to grow on trees with dense foliage and a broad crown. Therefore, the climbing plant does not appear as a light robber, especially since it rarely penetrates into the crowns and overgrows them. In summary, it can be said that the growth of ivy does not harm the tree - at least in principle.
When to remove ivy - and when not to
Older, healthy trees are not damaged by ivy growth. However, the situation is different with young trees whose bark is still thin. Here, too, the roots of the ivy do not penetrate, but the growth creates an environment favorable for the growth of fungi - which in turn penetrate through the still sensitive bark. Trees with damaged bark are also at risk from ivy for the same reason. Furthermore, ivy should be removed from trees with thin branches, as these often cannot bear the additional weight. Fruit trees are also not suitable as hosts, since the insects living in the ivy (such as wasps) can have a negative impact on the harvest.
tips
Removing ivy is a tedious business. It works best if you repeatedly cut the tendrils close to the ground and slowly starve the plant.