An acre of Ivy covered trees

[norseofcourse]

Wasn't Kudzu imported as a grazing plant in the first place?

And multiflora rose was intentionally brought to this country, I have a 1971 book on horse care that has a whole paragraph advocating its use as a 'decorative and impenetrable' fence. Whatever idiot authorized that should have to come clear my pasture! Luckily the sheep are eating it, along with the poison ivy, bindweed, and lots of other stuff.

I do have a small amount of english ivy near the garage, I read the same thing about it being bad for sheep and goats. This past winter killed much of it, I'll get the rest.

 

[goatboy1973]

Our goats love multiflora rose.

 

[LittleFarmLife]

I have a few English Ivy covered white oak trees too--used to be much worse but I slowly got rid of it everywhere else with an aggressive cutting and digging program. I sprayed the new shoots on open ground, eventually using up all the energy stored in the root mass and the plants die off. If it truly is Engilsh Ivy (Hedera helix) it is unlike some invasive vines in that the vine itself while attaching itself to the tree trunk, doesn't suck nutrients from the tree itself. The little root looking threads of the vine wrap around the rough bark but do not penetrate into the tree's vascular system area. Nor does the vine "choke" the tree from encirclement--it's a living plant and expands as the tree's trunk diameter increases.
It relies solely on it's own vine trunk for water and nutrients from the ground. The ivy does however, suck up significant volumes of water and nutrients the oak trees need, as well as it's upper parts shielding the oak foliage from sunlight. Addittionally, in winter, the evergreen ivy leaves collect snow and ice, adding weight to the barren oak tree limbs, often breaking limbs off.

Here's how to rid it from your oak trees. Using a pair of garden lopers (long handled pruning shears) beginning about 1' up the tree trunk from ground level, cut only a 1-2" section out of each vine and gently pull those sections from the tree bark. Do it on each and every vine climbing the tree. Leave the rest of the vine in the tree. Trying to remove large sections will pull bark from the tree, and open the oak up to insects and disease. The vine itself will die up in the tree, the leaves will fall off and the tree trunk will either absorb the big vine as the tree continues to grow or the insects, elements, and woodpeckers will take care of the dead vine.

Dig up the roots of the vine from the edge of the tree trunk bole to about 2 feet radius outward.
Another option is to spray or 'paint' the newly severed vine "trunks" with glycosphate (roundup) or triclopyr (Remedy) . Apply it right on the cut itself, not on the outside of the vine. Don't go crazy with it, you can kill the tree if too much triclopyr gets on the tree.
Allowing goats, sheep or cattle in to eat the new sprouts or leaves CAN cause problems!!!



Many people claim they have had no problems with goats eating English Ivy but it is during certain stages, a Saponin producing plant--and at other times, a Cyanogenic producer---------your results may vary.

http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/englishivy.shtml

Oh no! The fact that goats can't handle the English ivy as well as the poison ivy means we have to manually or mechanically clear the property :-(

 

[Baymule]

Is the English ivy all over or just in spots? A friend of mine used cow panels and T-posts to build small pens for his goats to clear things up for him. I think it was 2 panels long and 2 panels wide, 32'x32'. He put a portable shelter in there, water and a tub for feed. When they eat a place down, he moves the pen. If there are areas that are English ivy free, this would work for you and the panels are not expensive.

 

[LittleFarmLife]

Is the English ivy all over or just in spots? A friend of mine used cow panels and T-posts to build small pens for his goats to clear things up for him. I think it was 2 panels long and 2 panels wide, 32'x32'. He put a portable shelter in there, water and a tub for feed. When they eat a place down, he moves the pen. If there are areas that are English ivy free, this would work for you and the panels are not expensive.

Unfortunately the majority of the back acre is covered in English ivy/poison ivy all mixed up together

 

[goatboy1973]

The poison ivy is okay for the goats to eat, it is the English ivy that is the problem. I don't even know if all English ivy is bad or if there's different varieties that are okay. If there's a botanist that subscribes to BYH they would know. Unless a goat is starved half to death, they usually are very careful as to what they eat. Most poisonous plants have a bitter taste to them due to a high concentration of alkaline compounds which wreaks havoc when it gets absorbed into the bloodstream causing alterations in the pH of the blood which normally operates under a super tight normal range. Variations in blood pH can cause a quick death.

 

[LittleFarmLife]

The poison ivy is okay for the goats to eat, it is the English ivy that is the problem. I don't even know if all English ivy is bad or if there's different varieties that are okay. If there's a botanist that subscribes to BYH they would know. Unless a goat is starved half to death, they usually are very careful as to what they eat. Most poisonous plants have a bitter taste to them due to a high concentration of alkaline compounds which wreaks havoc when it gets absorbed into the bloodstream causing alterations in the pH of the blood which normally operates under a super tight normal range. Variations in blood pH can cause a quick death.

It makes sense that goats would be smart enough to not eat the stuff that's bad for them. I'm still concerned that maybe we'd get a stupid goat and then feel bad forever because it ate the English ivy and died. :-/ I REALLY don't want to clear all this land with machines.

 

[canesisters]

Another option would be to borrow a couple of goats.
I had a small wooded area in my back yard that was so overgrown you couldn't even see the fence through it. We threw up a simple fence to keep the goats away from the house (and planted beds) and within a few weeks they had the whole place beautifully cleared. If you can find someone with goats, see if they will 'rent' you a couple for a season.

 

[goatgurl]

my goats love multiflora rose and poison ivy as well as green briars but you have never lived till you have had goats throw up green azalea slime all over you. i didn't know rumen animals could do that. they will eat things they shouldn't and wild azalea is just an example. i would be concerned about fencing them in with the English ivy.

 

[goatboy1973]

my goats love multiflora rose and poison ivy as well as green briars but you have never lived till you have had goats throw up green azalea slime all over you. i didn't know rumen animals could do that. they will eat things they shouldn't and wild azalea is just an example. i would be concerned about fencing them in with the English ivy.

Yeah the green azalea slime smells like llama spit which is basically partially undigested plant material. Hard to get that smell off of your skin.