How can I remove ivy roots?
We have built a conservatory on the side of the house against a wall that once had ivy growing up it. The wall is sound, but we can’t get the smaller ivy roots off the brickwork in some places. Where we have succeeded, there is a feathery pattern left showing where they were. How can we remove the roots more effectively and clean up the marks on the bricks?
- Joanna Astbury, by email
Roger Hunt replies: Sadly, this is not an uncommon problem and one for which there is no easy answer. Ivy clings to walls tenaciously and you should balance the desire to remove it with the danger of harming the brickwork. When bricks are fired, a thin skin is created on the surface and this is easily damaged by abrasive cleaning methods such as wire brushing or harsh scraping. Equally, using large amounts of water – such as from a pressure jet – may dislodge mortar and cause salts in the brickwork to come to the surface and form white powder known as efflorescence. With smooth, hard-faced bricks it may be possible to dislodge the roots carefully with a paint scraper or a blade formed out of an old piece of Formica (this is softer than metal), while a wet saucepan scourer can be effective in gently removing the feathery pattern, although marks are likely to be left where the roots have stained the brick.
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