Hello,
I live in Toronto. My questions concerns a virginia creeper that is on my property but growing along a neighbour’s fence and alongside his house. I regularly cut down the vine on the side of his house (it’s brick), and always get it off his roof if it gets that far. However he thinks the roots might be damaging (cracking) his foundation, and he wants me to pull out the roots. I dont think the roots would damage foundation, but don’t know for certain. Can you advise? p.s. I would rather not pull out the roots, just the green vine. Thanks!
Thanks for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is an aggressive spreader. The small aerial tendrils or roots of the vine allow it to adhere to a surface. Older homes with bricks and mortar construction can be susceptible to damage. The tendrils don’t penetrate and damage the walls of more modern brick homes built with cement. Removal of the tendrils however will involve a lot of work and could do damage. If you decide to try to remove the tendrils you might try this method for removing ivy tendrils in an inconspicuous area to establish whether the tendrils can be removed without causing damage.
For more information for Virginia creeper and other vines on masonry please the following links:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=258
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/remove-ivy-marks-86052.html
For more general information about Virginia creeper please see the following link:
https://www.thespruce.com/taxonomy-of-virginia-creeper-2132897