Non-Native Plants

If you are interested in volunteering this year for Earth Day and doing something great for the planet, let us save you some time:http://www.solv.org/what-we-do/solve-it.

It is the best website we found to discover a worthy and green-friendly cause to volunteer for.

For this Earth Day,  (which is Monday) The Advocate will focus our attention on clearing of an invasive species: English Ivy. If a plant were a superhero — or super-villain — it would be ivy. Ivy is unstoppable; it can grow in full shade and full sun, can go long periods without water (not a problem in Oregon) and withstand temperatures of minus 20 degrees.

The problem with ivy is that it doesn’t share well. In fact, it kills everything in its path.

A typical healthy forest in Oregon is covered in old growth timber mixed in with current growth, and a rich biodiversity of groundcover consisting of, say, ferns, mountain sorrel and huckleberries. English Ivy will cover the base growth like a flood, devouring everything in its path, leaving only ivy in its wake. When ivy encounters a wall, tree or sign, it scales the obstacle with ease.

Ivy’s ability to grow both vertically and horizontally and the speed at which it grows are why biologists have deemed it a noxious weed. Ivy starves trees of water and nutrients and adds extra weight to the tree, which can cause blowdowns. Ivy encourages deterioration when unchecked growth is left on a building, a sign or a bridge.

Ivy was introduced to America for its decorative properties and its fast growth rate. There are many native alternatives to ivy: kinnikinnick, crinkle-leaf creeper, beach strawberry, fringe cup and low Oregon grape are a few examples that www.kingcounty.gov/gonative suggests.

The easiest way to control overgrowth is to pull it out by hand. Luckily, ivy is fairly easy to weed. The best time to get after ivy is fall and spring because the soil is moist. It is recommended to wear gloves and use gardening tools, or even screwdrivers, for younger vines. Be sure to de-root the plant completely. Do not leave the plant on the ground because ivy has been known to go all Terminator-zombie on environmentalists and re-root itself. Instead, cover the cleared area with suggested plants or mulch.

When clearing away from trees, it is only necessary to cut and de-root as much ivy as feels comfortable. The remaining ivy, as long as it is not grounded, will die and no longer compete with the trees’ growth.

Our aim is not to bore you to death – if only ivy could be killed as easily. Our aim is to bring to your attention that there is more than one way to get involved this Earth Day.

Whatever you decide to do, whether it’s pick up five pieces of trash or clear ivy for an afternoon, we hope you do something local that will help keep the greater Gresham area looking beautiful.