Boston Ivy on brownstone?
Want to grow Boston Ivy up the side of our house to cover the brick which makes up one side of an alley facing a coop. The brick is well pointed, mortar appears in very good condition. The front of the house faces north and is mostly shaded by a large oak, so I expect the Boston Ivy to prefer the sunny brick wall but really who the F knows what will happen. Wondering what I’m in for if the plant decides it likes the brownstone front too? If it’s just on the corner that’ll be fine, but we’ll be in this house another 30 years so trying to gauge what I’m in for.
I have some experience as my office in queens has some very well established Boston Ivy was growing up an old brick wall on our warehouse. Not realizing that it was Boston Ivy and therefore less damaging to brick we cut it at the base and it died off. 3 years later the old dead roots are still there.
I appreciate all opinion’s but I am looking for advice specific to how Boston Ivy would affect the facde, not English Ivy.
adobera80
in General Discussion 4 years and 11 months ago
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adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
After wavering for a week I’ve decided not to go with original plan of planting in front and training onto the brick. This much time fretting over it is a bad sign, plus the potential fall out with the super of the building next door who’s front door is in the alley and will have to deal witht he fallen leaves and berries. We’re gonna plant in back to cover a wood fence, though in some years will have to keep it off the telephone power / polls. Thanks for all the input.
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
After wavering for a week I’ve decided not to go with original plan of planting in front and training onto the brick. This much time fretting over it is a bad sign, plus the potential fall out with the super of the building next door who’s front door is in the alley and will have to deal witht he fallen leaves and berries. We’re gonna plant in back to cover a wood fence, though in some years will have to keep it off the telephone power / polls. Thanks for all the input.
JohnHancock | 4 years and 11 months ago
Yes, what Bob says. The brownstone is just a thin layer of veneer over a brick facade and not solid blocks of brownstone. OP may have a re-brownstoned facade which is really just cement stucco
RobertGMarvin
in General Discussion 4 years and 11 months ago
Maggie O–I think it’s easy to cut brownstone in thin sheets, with the grain, and far more difficult and costly to cut it across the grain.
Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago
@Bob Marvin – yes, that’s the difference! I’m not sure I really understand why it would be more expensive to arrange the stone with the bedding planes horizontal rather than vertical though… it is the same amount of stone after all.
Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago
@Bob Marvin – yes, that’s the difference! I’m not sure I really understand why it would be more expensive to arrange the stone with the bedding planes horizontal rather than vertical though… it is the same amount of stone after all.
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
I’m going to plant this weekend. Supposedly it grows 6 – 10 feet per year so should be able to manage it for first year and see if I can keep it off the front of the facade and on the brick. The hanging potato vine I have in a window box on that side grows towards the sun, it’s grown longer than the others and that’s what I’m hoping the Icy does, since the pot will be right at the corner inside our gate.
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
I’m going to plant this weekend. Supposedly it grows 6 – 10 feet per year so should be able to manage it for first year and see if I can keep it off the front of the facade and on the brick. The hanging potato vine I have in a window box on that side grows towards the sun, it’s grown longer than the others and that’s what I’m hoping the Icy does, since the pot will be right at the corner inside our gate.
RobertGMarvin
in General Discussion 4 years and 11 months ago
RE: Maggie O’s point, my understanding is that the “right” way to use brownstone is to lay it horizontally, with the end grain facing out, as was done with Trinity Church. That is very expensive; most houses have the stone laid vertically, so it tends to spall off in layers.
Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago
Just wanted to add a few cents in here – Brownstone can be a very good building material but unfortunately it was often installed incorrectly, which is what causes the stone to sheer off big pieces. So there’s nothing wrong with brownstone itself necessarily though it is a softer stone than granite, it just has to be used properly. I generally do not support growing things attached to walls for the following reasons:
1) once it gets nice and big you won’t actually be seeing the wall and wont’ know if there’s something going on behind the plants that you need to take action on
2) even if the attachments themselves aren’t chemically damaging to the stone or mortar, the plants will hold moisture against the stone or brick which can speed up deterioration
3) rats – if you thought having squirrels in your attic sounded bad, consider rats chewing on your cornice.
Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago
Just wanted to add a few cents in here – Brownstone can be a very good building material but unfortunately it was often installed incorrectly, which is what causes the stone to sheer off big pieces. So there’s nothing wrong with brownstone itself necessarily though it is a softer stone than granite, it just has to be used properly. I generally do not support growing things attached to walls for the following reasons:
1) once it gets nice and big you won’t actually be seeing the wall and wont’ know if there’s something going on behind the plants that you need to take action on
2) even if the attachments themselves aren’t chemically damaging to the stone or mortar, the plants will hold moisture against the stone or brick which can speed up deterioration
3) rats – if you thought having squirrels in your attic sounded bad, consider rats chewing on your cornice.
stevecym | 4 years and 11 months ago
the stuff in a pot will probably not spread out as much. we put regular old english ivy in here, in the ground, to cover an old and crumbling wall. it is nice because it is ever green, but what is a pain in the neck are the shoots that run off along the ground. perhaps the potted plant will be a bit tamer.
do you know what you can do. i have done it. all states run something called a “cooperative extension” office. maybe someone there would really know. someone who deal with urban plantings. perhaps in a city like ny or boston (do they have a lot of stone in boston, i have seen brick? these people are great and can get down into detail in a way that we never could on the net.
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
@stevecym Yes I’ve read alot about the nature of brownstone and it’s trappings hence my concern. I believe the main danger to the material will be pulling it down while alive. In the event it needs to come down i’ve read to cut it at base first, let it die and take down in parts. I also thinking I could see where it goes and could trip periodically out the windows to keep it on the brick side of the house. My thinking again being it will prefer the sunnyside and grow towards that direction. I could cut it off the browstone out the windows.
Now I think im talking myself back into the idea. It will be in a pot so perhaps cant get as big as those homes that are totally covered.
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
@stevecym Yes I’ve read alot about the nature of brownstone and it’s trappings hence my concern. I believe the main danger to the material will be pulling it down while alive. In the event it needs to come down i’ve read to cut it at base first, let it die and take down in parts. I also thinking I could see where it goes and could trip periodically out the windows to keep it on the brick side of the house. My thinking again being it will prefer the sunnyside and grow towards that direction. I could cut it off the browstone out the windows.
Now I think im talking myself back into the idea. It will be in a pot so perhaps cant get as big as those homes that are totally covered.
stevecym | 4 years and 11 months ago
thank you for acknowledging what i have said. as someone writing on here, i know less about the brownstone material than 90% of the people on here. You mention that yours looks fine, but something tells me that brownstoner can be deceptive. i would be careful with it as there might be fissures where roots can gain a foothold and create a bigger problem.
read a little about the brownstone material itself. don’t read with an eye toward what the plants will do to it. just read about it. it is not considered a very good building material as it splays and literally comes apart – with no help. i think it came out of the ground that way. short of someone who really knows about this stuff coming on behind us, i would be careful. (and i really don’t know how stable it is but am recalling something i read years ago).
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
@efbk – sounds gross, Boston Ivy does produce a small berry which I think is technically a grape. Although there is alot of trash on in the alley for the coop and no rats in the area which I was surprised we’re near the park. However when we lived closer to 4th ave there were plenty of rats.
@stevecym – there is a fair amount online I have read, but lke you said nothing on brownstone. There is mention of it damaging stucco which I suppose is more or less the same. Visually our brownstone is in decent shape.
I was so into this idea, especially after visiting a friend who’s inner courtyard is covered in the stuff. But just having this concern is pushing me away from the idea. Too bad I already have the plants just waiting on the pots to arrive.
adobera80 | 4 years and 11 months ago
@efbk – sounds gross, Boston Ivy does produce a small berry which I think is technically a grape. Although there is alot of trash on in the alley for the coop and no rats in the area which I was surprised we’re near the park. However when we lived closer to 4th ave there were plenty of rats.
@stevecym – there is a fair amount online I have read, but lke you said nothing on brownstone. There is mention of it damaging stucco which I suppose is more or less the same. Visually our brownstone is in decent shape.
I was so into this idea, especially after visiting a friend who’s inner courtyard is covered in the stuff. But just having this concern is pushing me away from the idea. Too bad I already have the plants just waiting on the pots to arrive.
Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago
Visiting a friend whose neighbor’s wall was covered in ivy, allowed me to find out that unfortunately if rats are in the area, they really like ivy. The sound of them running through the ivy was completely unnerving, and forced us inside. Realize this doesn’t answer the specific question, but it might be a consideration worth looking into.
stevecym | 4 years and 11 months ago
there must be stuff written about this on the ‘net. at least where red brick is concerned as that is used widely. maybe less info on allowing it to grow on brownstone as that appears to be more localized.