how do i get rid of ivy?

[daz10_uk]

i am buying a house with ivy on the front how do i get rid of it wothout leaving ANY marks on the brickwork?

[DuzyEverwork]

There is no way to remove ivy without getting marks on the brickwork.. the marks are made when the ivy attaches itself to the wall and are already there. If a piece of ivy has broken loose and has been blown by the wind for any time you will have 'sweep' marks on the walls too. The only way to get rid of it is to cut it down at ground height and wait for it to die back before pulling it off the wall.. the problem unfortunately doesn't end there as the damn stuff will grow back, you either have to dig out the root (a bit impractical if its right against the house) or kill it another way. I found that neat Jayes Fluid over the bare green stalk left when you cut it down goes a long way to killing the thing without too much detriment to the surroundings. Persevere and get rid of it if you can, it causes untold damage to brickwork and the spores for people who have chest complaints are a massive irritant. There - that was a happy posting wasn't it... good luck! :o) Trudi

[nona suomy]

Not sure about the brickwork but I had some growing up the front of my flat, Sprayed it with an ivy killer (about 2.99 from hardware store) and let it die. It works by being absorbed through the leaves and spreading to the roots. At first I thought it was rubbish but a week later all the leaves were brown and brittle. That made it easier to pull them off. There seem to be hairy tendrils still on the brickwork but I think they'd come off with a wire brush.

[C V Hounsell]

I seem to remember my Mum telling me, cut it at the bottom as near all the starting roots as possible and wait for it to shrink out of the brickwork itself. Rather like getting a leech off your skin - If you pull it it will take the brick work with it. It takes patience tho. May be more modern ways now.