Common ivy: care, photo
From a distance, common ivy looks like emerald green sea foam. The creeping plant braids any surface that the aerial roots have reached. It is used to decorate houses, gazebos, arches, fences.
The color of the leaves of this amazing plant varies many times. In the photo of common ivy, one can see either light creamy-white edges of carved leaves, or homogeneous greenery with a silvery, yellow, golden tint. There is ivy with a dense green color of leaves and stems.
Common ivy fills the surface of any vertical support
Ivy is native to the subtropics, so it loves sunny, dry areas. Growing it lush is not easy – too capricious. It is best to use the grafting method:
- Cut off the cuttings about 10 cm from the mother’s whip, making sure that the aerial roots are preserved.
- Place the cut branches in a jar of water, wait for the roots to appear and plant in a small pot.
- You can immediately plant the cuttings in loose soil of peat and sand by filling a container with them. Water the plant well to form a root system.
- Transplant the ivy into a large pot if you plan to make it an ampelous plant, or root it outdoors near the support.
- At the bottom of the pot, do not forget to make a drainage layer of coarse sand or expanded clay.
You can make layering from a living plant branch by dropping it into the ground. After 10-14 days, a fairly powerful root system is formed. Cut off the shoot carefully and plant.
Choose a sunny place for landing. However, keep in mind that direct sunlight should not fall on the leaves. The optimum temperature for the plant is 15 to 25 ° C.
The composition of the soil is sod fertilized with humus mixed with coarse sand or a mixture of peat, sand, humus and sod. For the plant to feel good and grow actively, it needs minimal maintenance.
- On hot days, water as the soil dries. Do not fill in the roots.
- Reduce watering to once every 3-4 days when the cooler days come.
- Fertilize the soil with universal mineral fertilizer once a month throughout the season, from mid-May to late September. In winter, you do not need to feed the plant if it is kept at home.
Young ivy is best replanted every spring in April or March by refilling the pots with new nutrient mixture. Transplant an adult plant every 3 years.
Curly decorative ivy is a beautiful design for vertical surfaces. It is easily bred by cuttings or cuttings. With proper care, it pleases with splendor and juicy greenery.