Clinging or in simpler words unwanted vines can be challenging to deal with once they latch on to your garden landscape and trees.
Since vines grow and develop very fast, it won’t take long before they can lead to serious issues and even grow further despite your aim to deal with them.
Vines can rapidly creep into new spots; they develop inside tree canopies, sweep on to the edge of the buildings, and squeeze the life out of lower level plants and shrubs by strangling them and hindering them from being exposed to sunlight.
At Todd’s we cut and remove trees that have been damaged or killed from vines. Learn the best ways to deal and remove the deadly tree killing vines.
Vines Strangle, Smother And Kill Trees
Vines can easily creep their way with ease to the body of the trees. Then they smother and struggle them and once they reach a tree’s canopy, they prevent sunlight from showing in the leaves of the tree. As we know, sunlight is a form of energy for the plant and the vines against the tree compete for getting necessary nutrients and liquids.
An extra problem that emerges, is that when left uncontrolled and unhindered, ivy vines can fully conceal a tree’s trunk and its branches. As it smothers around and grows in length, it leads to trees and their branches falling without much resistance.
Severing Vines from Their Roots
You can severe the vines to their core around the root of the trunk with sharp garden clippers. If the tree is densely smothered in vines grown to more than inch, you will have to cut through the vine with extra caution and carefully remove it from the bark. The aim here is to severe all vines from their nutrient sources drawn from the soil so they will die off.
After you cut the vines from the root body, you’ll have to wait to see progress. It’s best to leave the rest of the ivy on the tree to dry off. Ivy creeps around a tree using a sticky substance combined with micro root hairs that adhere densely to the crevices of the bark.
There is a high risk of heavily ruining the tree if you decide to forcefully pull the ivy off its body. If you want you can take hedge shears to trim the ivy leaves. The leaves though will progressively shrivel and leave the tree exposed to more sunlight.
Tip: It’s best to wear garden gloves and a protective uniform to prevent any irritations whilst trimming the vines. Some vine species may cause major skin irritation and more serious issues.
Getting Rid of Vines and Their Roots
Get rid of all the vines by pulling the roots out of the soil within a 2 foot circle around the tree. This will prevent any future damage to the tree. It is ideal to do it once the soil is a bit moist after rain or watering.
A leaf or wood chip mulch 2 inches thick and three feet around the tree is recommended to maintain adequate moisture and block lawn mowers from reaching directly to the roots. Also make sure the mulch is at 3 inches distance from the trunk of tree to allow proper air circulation for the bark and leave any vines that try to grow back exposed.
Dying Vines Left on Your Tree
While many will quickly trim off the ivy off the tree once it’s dead, its complex creeping mechanism will still be active. So the best thing to do is to let the ivy dry out and fall off naturally, as to maintain the bark’s integrity.
Once a competitor (such as an invasive vine) has been eliminated, trees are fairly fast to recover. It is important to keep a watchful eye on the tree though, as damages may be more extensive and hidden by the vine’s foliage. Hence the importance of acting quickly when a vine makes your tree its host.
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Todd’s Marietta Tree Services
(678) 505-0266
