Remove Ivy from Wall?
I’ve heard conflicting advice on whether or not it’s wise to remove ivy from a stone wall. One of the brick walls of our building is painted white and has become entirely covered by ivy. (We’ve cut off the roots but it still continues to grow.) Is this bad for the mortar and stone beneath?
I’ve heard conflicting advice on whether or not it’s wise to remove ivy from a stone wall. One of the brick walls of our building is painted white and has become entirely covered by ivy. (We’ve cut off the roots but it still continues to grow.) Is this bad for the mortar and stone beneath?
I will provide this link in regard to the importance of the type of mortar and its role in water and moisture.
http://www.oldlouisville.com/circa1900/brick-structures.htm
vinca,
you have proven yourself good at readingcomprhension by all the informational links you provide with all your posts.
Yet on this post you seemed to miss the target regarding my siting the example of the Foundry.
For the record, if you read my earlier post, I never stated all ivy is never going to cause damage to a masonry wall.
I said to identify the type of mortar and what species is actually growing on the wall. Both of those points are important factors.
As far as The Foundry. Owners are landscape specialists, retired. I think they know a little about what is growing on their walls. They also have vast experience with brick and mortar having done extensive building restoration over the last twenty five years.
For the slow people who did not make the connection. Maybe you could contact the owners of the Foundry to discuss the species of plant life growing on their buildings. They are very nice people full of real life experience on this topic.
Vinca,
The history of The Foundry and its current owners is well documented by the NY Times. I do not enjoy the cut and paste as much as you do, but there is nothing “alleged” about their accomplishments or knowledge.
As vinca says, the fact that the Foundry has ivy and is still standing doesn’t disprove any of the other points. The issue of moisture retention is real, and in an ideal world, you don’t want to do something that keeps moisture from moving away from a building.
None of that means that ivy doesn’t look great, none of that means that your building is going to fall down tomorrow. More likely, it will accelerate deterioration over a long period, and when the deterioration occurs, you will be less likely to notice it because you can’t see it through all the ivy.
And for the record, our garden walls are covered in creeper. Unlike ivy, it dies off every winter and doesn’t work its way into the masonry as much. Does it have all the ills I talked about – absolutely. Are the walls falling apart – absolutely not. I know that because I can see the walls all winter long.
The bottom line is that life is full of tradeoffs. If you understand what they are, you can control them. If you pretend they don’t exist they are much more liable to bite you in the ass.
There are numerous buildings throughout NYC covered with old wisteria vine. That’s hardly proof that they cause no damage to structural integrity. On the contrary, though very beautiful, they’re quite destructive. If you want nuance and knowledge, try starting with the links I posted. If you want to prove that ALL ivy is non-destructive by providing the example of The Foundry, I suggest you are mistaken and should identify the particular species of ivy on that building. If you prefer sweeping dismissals from dowager empresses like Minard, who discount the years and knowledge of others while citing their own (alleged) years in the “old building business”, to each his own, you’re certainly welcome to that, too.
Again,
Please see an existing example. Hard to argue points when there is a standing example right here in our city. The Foundry. Owneres are retired landscape specialists. Also restored several brick and mortar buildings that most of which are now covered in ivy.
http://thefoundry.info/
The building professionals are correct in this case. Ivy (particularly) can damage masonry and mortar. Plant growth (in general) such as Virginia Creeper may not damage masonry DIRECTLY, but it does result in water retention on the building itself. Most building professionals will tell you that the first goal to move water AWAY from the building, not leave it there.
But ivy-covered walls do look nice, and if you want that look there are ways to have ivy/climbing plants that do not damage masonry and do not keep moisture directly ON the wall.
Excuse the nuance.
I’m with Minard. Ivy depends on what kind of ivy, what kind of wall, other circumstances.
But I am curious as to why you expected anything other than kneejerk responses here. Forums are most often opportunities for preening and worrying and generally acting like a tool. They are rarely used as forums for nuanced discussion.
vinca -that’s not a type of ivy is it?
what I am saying is certainly not foolish. I have been in the old building business for years and I have very often kept ivy, if it looks good and if the wall is solid. What do you suppose the brick industry is going to say? Cover our product with vines? Jeesh, the slings and arrows I endure trying to disseminate a little common sense.
Pretty much a me too – are you sure it’s ivy in the first place? There are plants that cling to the surface, but don’t send roots into masonry (eg Virginia creeper).