Ivy is a popular garden and houseplant. Since ivy plants are very easy to care for, they can be cultivated in almost any condition. Indoor ivy is also good as a traffic light plant, or you can simply let it climb up. Propagating the climbing plant is just as easy as caring for it. So you can take your first ivy with you from a room ivy at friends or acquaintances as an offshoot.
multiply
Ivy plants are robust and extremely easy to care for. That is why propagating the vigorous plants is easy and uncomplicated.
There are three ways to propagate ivy:
- cuttings
- lowering
- seed
Since a long tendril, which is still connected to the mother plant, is placed in the ground when propagating with a sinker, this method cannot be used with house ivy.
Ivy, Hedera helix
Propagation with cuttings
The cuttings are propagated by offshoots of the mother plant. The best time to take cuttings is between April and September. It is best to take the cutting from a one-year-old vine. This should only be slightly lignified and have not yet formed any adhesive roots. These partial cuttings are middle sections of the tendrils. Alternatively, you can also take a head cutting, i.e. the end of a tendril with shoot tips, for propagation. At which point of the ivy you take the cutting is up to you.
The cutting should:
- have a length of 10 to 15 centimeters
- be freed from the lower leaves
- have two to four leaves at the top
You have two options for rooting the cuttings:
- vessel with water (water glass)
- Pot with potting soil
If you cut the cuttings out of the middle parts of a tendril, you have to mark the upper and/or lower end of this so-called partial cuttings, since it has to be placed in the glass or in the pot “the right way around”. That means that the lower end of the cutting always comes into the water or into the ground. If it is used "wrong way around", it will not form any roots.
For propagation with potting soil, proceed as follows:
- Place the cuttings in pots with potting soil
- alternatively well drained substrate mixed with sand
- pre-drill small holes
- Planting depth: 3 to 4 centimeters
- It is best to carefully pour on room-warm water
Then put a transparent plastic bag over the cutting and the pot. Make sure that the plastic bag at the bottom of the pot is closed tightly. This keeps the substrate evenly moist. You should not forget to air the young plants once a day to prevent mold growth. At the same time you can check whether they need water, because the substrate should be kept slightly moist.
Tip: Insert two wooden sticks into the pot so that the plastic bag or the freezer bag does not come into contact with the young carpenter's ivy. They ensure the necessary distance to the ivy.
The young plants root best if they get a semi-shady place at a temperature of 20 to 22 degrees Celsius. Under no circumstances should they be placed in direct sunlight.
Proceed as follows when propagating in a glass of water:
- Place the cuttings in a glass with tap water
- it is best to use a green or brown glass
- Wrap clear glasses in aluminum foil
- Use large opening glass
Roots should not be damaged later when pulled out.
As with propagation with potting soil, the delicate plants must not be in direct sunlight. A temperature between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius is also optimal here.
Tip: Propagating in a water glass is also perfect for plants that are kept as hydroponics.
maintenance
Once the first new shoots have developed, the plastic cover can be permanently removed. For watering, it is best to use lukewarm water for the entire period. As soon as the substrate is well rooted, the young carpenter's ivy can be placed in a larger pot. This is the case after four to eight weeks. From this point on, it is cared for like a "big" ivy.
Tip: The cuttings must not be fertilized.
If the partial or head cuttings are in a glass with water, the water level should always be constantly high. That's why you should add water from time to time. It should be completely replaced when it becomes cloudy. After a week or two, roots should have formed. If these are about two centimeters long, the offshoots can be repotted in soil or cultivated as hydroponics.
cultivation
Potting soil vs. water glass
In terms of effort, propagation in a glass of water is less expensive than propagation in potting soil. The cuttings also usually take root faster in water. However, with the water glass variant, the young carpenter's ivy first has to get used to the new environment after being transplanted into soil, which is not always the case.
Propagation by seeds
Since often only older ivy plants bloom, harvesting the seeds is not that easy. If you have discovered a flower on your ivy, do not cut off the faded flower so that the ivy can develop its blue-black berries. The best time to harvest seeds is in March and April. So that they do not dry out, you should use them immediately for sowing.
sowing
After separating the seeds from the pulp, they are sown in a bowl of seed soil. After that, they are covered with a very thin layer of substrate. Press them down lightly and spray the substrate with water. Then place the seed tray in a place with about 20 to 23 degrees Celsius. If the first two cotyledons appear, the temperature can be reduced by two to three degrees.
maintenance
Once the seedlings have developed two or more pairs of leaves, they can be planted in individual pots. It is best to place the seedlings in pots with a diameter of nine centimeters in pricking soil. Water the young carpenter's ivy with lukewarm water and place it in a partially shaded location. After a few weeks, it should have reached a length of 20 to 25 centimeters.