How to Root an Ivy Plant
True ivy, various Hedera species, is an unstoppable groundcover vine in milder climates. Ivy is also a versatile houseplant, as graceful in the vegetation mix for hanging baskets as in its own pot. One of ivy's most whimsical uses is in topiary, where multiple young ivy plants are trained onto trellises or wire forms to create formal living sculptures. Rooting new plants is an easy way to generate all the ivy plants you could ever need. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Established healthy ivy plants
- Small clipping container filled with water
- Sharp garden scissors
- Clean mayonnaise or other glass or ceramic jars
- Water
- Small rooting pots
- Clean (never used) soil-free potting mix
- Large clear plastic bags
Instructions
-
Rooting Ivy in Water
-
1
Fill glass jars with water until each is almost full.
-
2
Cut young growing tips from healthy ivy plants, placing them immediately in water to prevent air from getting into stems. Snip cuttings so each is 3 to 6 inches long with 3 or 4 "nodes," or stem sections where leaves attach.
-
-
3
Pinch off the bottom two leaves from each cutting, separating leaves from the stem right at the stem, and immediately place them in water again to cover the rooting nodes. Each rooting jar can contain multiple cuttings.
-
4
Place rooting jars near a window in indirect light. Check water levels every few days, and replenish water as it evaporates. Roots should be developed--and ivy plants ready to pot up--in 4 to 6 weeks.
-
5
Carefully remove each rooted ivy start from the rooting jar and plant in a small container filled with potting mix. Water thoroughly, until moisture has been completely absorbed by the potting soil and runs out the drainage holes.
Rooting Ivy in Planting Mix
-
6
Cut young growing tips from healthy ivy plants, placing them immediately in water to prevent air from getting into stems. Snip cuttings so each is 3 to 6 inches long with 3 or 4 "nodes," or stem sections where leaves attach.
-
7
Pinch off the bottom two leaves from each cutting, separating leaves from the stem right at the stem. Stick each cutting into a pot of clean, thoroughly moistened potting mix, making sure the leaf nodes--where new roots will start--are completely covered.
-
8
Place rooting pots in a warm, shady location--inside a plastic bag, to retain moisture and warmth like a greenhouse. Open the bag from time to time, so condensation is not too great; 100 percent humidity can cause cuttings to rot. After several weeks remove the "greenhouse" altogether, and water the soil when the surface dries out.
-
9
Plant rooted cuttings into their first pot--with regular potting soil--one or two weeks later.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Once well started, young ivy plants can be grown in any rich houseplant potting mix in almost any type of well-drained container.
Repot ivies when plants get top-heavy or root bound, or when they begin to dry out soon after watering. Choose a new pot no more than 1 inch larger in diameter than the one it replaces, because a pot that's too large can lead to waterlogged soil and root rot.
Contact with ivy sap causes skin rashes for some people, so be sure to wear gloves when pruning ivy plants if you have a reaction.
Do not fertilize ivy when plants stop growing during hot or cool periods.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ivy image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
