Can any tree pundit here recommend a weedspray that will get the ivy but not adversely affect the tree?
Affect root and trunk of tree well established
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Getting rid of ivy rampant on a willow tree
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Re: Getting rid of ivy rampant on a willow tree
The reliable quick fix is to cut the ivy stem(s) as close to the ground as possible and remove a 20-30cm chunk of said stems at the same time. All of the ivy above the cut(s) will die and can be pulled away in bits over the course of the following month/year.
What's left below ground will try to re-grow. You can either keep cutting back the new shoots until it's sufficiently weakened as not to be able to grow back again (could be a long time if it's well established); or you could try injecting glyphosate into the cut stem, as one does for Japanese knotweed. Similarly, if it's a well-established plant,and especially if it has another stem coming up in a different location, it might take a few injections over the course of a few years to completely kill it.
What's left below ground will try to re-grow. You can either keep cutting back the new shoots until it's sufficiently weakened as not to be able to grow back again (could be a long time if it's well established); or you could try injecting glyphosate into the cut stem, as one does for Japanese knotweed. Similarly, if it's a well-established plant,and especially if it has another stem coming up in a different location, it might take a few injections over the course of a few years to completely kill it.
Re: Getting rid of ivy rampant on a willow tree
As Celtic Rambler says, cutting or pulling up is the only way to get rid of ivy and it is often an ongoing task over many years. Ivy has waxy leaves which will just shed anything you spray on it so you will be just peeing your money down the drain on expensive weedkillers and probably killing a lot more things you hadn't intended to.