Ivy – grows fast but propagating may not be that easy

Ivy (Hedera) is a popular plant that grows like crazy. We all saw buildings or fences that are fringed with ivy – even abandoned ones. This tells you that ivy is able to adapt to almost any conditions, it grows even in less-nutritious soils and does not require any regular care. If you want to control growth you need to care for it and trim it of course. If you like to utilize the “full potential” of this plant and would like to reproduce it, here is how. It is nothing complicated but there are few things you should be aware of.

Ivy in your garden

Ivy will grow in your garden in no time but to make sure that is grows best, you need to provide a suitable support – a wall or a gazebo or some kind of mesh. Basically, any support will do, but chose the one that will “guide” it properly. To propagate ivy you need to make some cuttings. Cut young stems that have reached a length of about 10 cm. Remove the lower leaves and place the cuttings in a pot full of fertile soil. Pour water in and keep covered with foil for about three weeks.

Photo: Pixabay

Ivy may give you hard time

Some of you may think of ivy as weed that grows by itself, but ivy may give you hard time and you may even need to put in some effort. Seedlings sometimes do not stick together as you want to. Ivy does not deal well with transplanting either, so you need to plant the entire root ball and soil in the pot where the shoots have developed. The reproductive process is more likely to be successful in spring, mainly at the turn of April and May. Another way to propagate ivy is to take a large stem and cover it with soil. It should take root after a few weeks. When it does, you need to cut it from the mother plant and, if necessary, you may transplant it to another place.

Propagation

Ivy grown indoors does not deal well with reproduction. If you want to expand your ivy, cut off healthy stems and place them in a container with water. Place it on a sunny windowsill and keep checking for roots. It usually takes a few weeks for roots to develop enough. When they do, place it in a pot full of fertile soil and water.

Source: https://www.magazinzahrada.cz/…

Preview photo: Pixabay