Homeowner warned to correct landscaping blunder before it's too late: 'It will eventually take them out'

A homeowner who could barely see the trees for the ivy took to the r/arborists community for advice on how to assess a relationship that appeared to be less than symbiotic. 

"Is this ivy killing these pines?" the original poster asked above three photos of trees whose trunks were completely covered in climbing ivy. 

"Just kill all the ivy," commented another Redditor. "English ivy is super invasive, and can only seed once it has climbed, so just clip everything up any tree."

The commenter was right. English ivy is incredibly invasive. Introduced hundreds of years ago by European colonists, it is marketed as a low-care ornamental plant in the United States despite being known to wreak havoc on local ecosystems.   

Ivy grows on the ground and in the canopies. Once in the canopy, vines block sunlight from reaching the leaves, impeding photosynthesis. English ivy also carries a pathogen that harms trees such as elms, oaks, and maples.

It also chokes out native plants that benefit ecosystems. Native plants are adapted to local ecosystems, requiring little to no maintenance and water, which saves homeowners money. They also provide habitats for local plants and animals, including pollinators that protect the global food supply. 

Invasive plants such as English ivy cost homeowners ​​time and money to eradicate. Many homeowners have found themselves battling the creeping vine and other invasive plants such as kudzu and bamboo, whether they planted them themselves, inherited a property infested with them, or became victims of a neighboring property. 

For all these reasons, when deciding what to plant, homeowners would be doing themselves, future owners, neighbors, and the planet a favor by opting for native landscaping. 

Regarding the OP's situation, other Redditors had plenty of advice about the ivy. 

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely 💯 It depends on the species 🤔 I don't know 🤷 No — leave nature alone 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"It will eventually take them out, as you can already see the damage in these photos," said one. "In my experience it's near impossible to uproot them. The best thing to do is have a gardener cut them at the base of the tree."

"Take hand pruners and working around the tree at the bottom, clip all the vines. Put one drop of full strength profession grade glyphosate on each cut stem," added another.

"Oh cool, yeah I'm definitely going to get on this. I don't need these guys falling down on me. I appreciate the advice!" said the OP.

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