tips for removing dead ivy please

[lilolilmanchester]

We've (purposely) let some ivy die off and are now trying to remove it. Impossible! Anyone done this successfully please? We were thinking of burning it off but not sure if that's the right thing to do

Hiya, peel off as much as possible then use a wire brush and a wallpaper scraper to (eventually) remove the rest. Don't try to burn it off you will seriously damage the brickwork (assuming its brick).

The lazy bones alternative is to put up trellis and grow somthing up the wall, or plant some ivy....

thanks kitkat, DH spent most of yesterday afternoon with a wire brush and not making much progress. We've had lawn laid up to that wall now and DH doesn't want to plant anything to grow up against it. Doesn't help that the wall is not flush, kind of pebbledash render. Will perhaps just have to persevere with the wire brush but it really isn't doing it!

Hire a powerful jet washer - it will shift the ivy and clean the stonework really well.

Gentleotter - would that also remove paint (long story involving dd3 and a paint roller left out to soak...)?

Just a little warning about pressure washers they are fab and can take off paint or ivy, but they can also make the surface you are using them on porous, so you really need to be careful. The problem often shows up months later after a surface has been jetwashed is then hit by a frost, any water (rain etc) that has pentrated the surface and then frozen can break pieces of the brick/ concrete out.

we have marks left from ivy picked off 10 years ago, it's nasty stuff

thanks all! Think we might just have to live with the remains then, can't risk frost damage if using jetwasher