Ivy on brick homes - Page 5

Nonametoday · ‎03-09-2010

On 4/6/2015 gardenman said:
Will it harm the brick and mortar? To a large extent the answer is "it depends". Modern cement based mortars (those used after the 1930's) are very hard and unlikely to be damaged by the ivy. Likewise modern bricks are very hard and unlikely to be damaged by ivy. Older mortar and bricks are very risky to expose to ivy. The current condition of the wall is also important to note. Any cracks or weak points in the wall can/will be exploited by the ivy and could lead to future problems. Also bugs love ivy and will live in it which can be troublesome to some. It also provides a good climbing area for mice/rats/squirrels to try and find a way into your home. Some/many structures have had ivy growing on them for decades with no real issue while in some cases you'll find the ivy has done massive damage.

So, in short the answer is if you have a modern house with modern bricks and mortar that's in good shape now, you're probably safe putting ivy on it. If you're living in an older house with older bricks/mortar or damaged bricks/mortar, then you're probably better off not using it.

Nope. My house was built in 1995. We put ivy on it and by 2003, our brick and mortar were ruined.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

My house was built in 1912 and is half covered with ivy. It is a 100% brick house.

The brick does attract spiders - and my neighbor's row house actually has a few birds nests in the ivy.

But mice and other rodents can climb up bricks w/o ivy too.

We had a neighbor who removed a LOT of their ivy...their home was built in 1878. The mortar is fine. Same with areas where our ivy has died out.

Perhaps it depends on the TYPE of ivy????

JustJazzmom · ‎03-09-2010

Perhaps it depends on the way the mortar was mixed in the sand/cement concentration that may have the ivy damage the mortar.

This is getting to be like the chicken vs. the egg question.

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼

Shaunac · ‎09-22-2010

Rats love to hide in ivy.

Roni · ‎03-14-2010

BAD, BAD, BAD....brings bugs, mice, rats...right up onto your home. Every pest control person will advise against it...not to mention the damage it can do to the mortar

AnikaBrodie · ‎03-10-2010

Ivy is hard to control and needs a lot of maintenance. I would suggest not doing it unless you have a lot of time on your hands. I don't like the idea of bugs and vermin getting into it either. Yuk!!!

"Faith, Hope, Love; the greatest of these is Love." ~The Silver Fox~

pommom · ‎03-10-2010

My best friend and her hubby bought a lovely colonial home. Unbeknownst to them, the ivy around her bay window would soon travel to her kitchen window. They thought it looked lovely at first against the red brick, but soon realized it harbored a direct line to food for the ants that kept crawling in through the window.

They had it professionally exterminated and the exterminator told them that until they got rid of the ivy, he'd be out on a regular basis.

They then called a landscaping company who managed to get rid of most of it. My friend has to be vigilant and still sees a cluster of ivy leaves here and there. She says it's been a never-ending job. They do love their beautiful home, though.

If your face brightens when you meet a friend, you have struck gold. - unknown

goodstuff · ‎03-09-2010

On 4/9/2015 pommom said:
My best friend and her hubby bought a lovely colonial home. Unbeknownst to them, the ivy around her bay window would soon travel to her kitchen window. They thought it looked lovely at first against the red brick, but soon realized it harbored a direct line to food for the ants that kept crawling in through the window.

They had it professionally exterminated and the exterminator told them that until they got rid of the ivy, he'd be out on a regular basis.

They then called a landscaping company who managed to get rid of most of it. My friend has to be vigilant and still sees a cluster of ivy leaves here and there. She says it's been a never-ending job. They do love their beautiful home, though.

True. When we had ivy on the walls of our previous home, we found that the ivy provided cover for bugs and also exuded a sweet sap that attracted ants. The ivy grew up around our daughter's bedroom window, and soon we had an influx of biting ants in her bedroom, even in her bed. I found that they extended their colony to the hollow interior of a curtain rod over her window. One day I saw some crawling there and made the mistake of pulling the rod apart. Millions of ants rushed out. I was able to get the curtain rod to the sink in the nearby bathroom and wash most of them down the drain. It was like a horror story! We started pulling and cutting that ivy off our house immediately.