Ivy is a beautiful and highly decorative plant. Not only to these two aspects it owes its popularity, but also to its easy maintenance and its simple way of being able to reproduce through cuttings. It is an ideal vegetable to decorate both walls and walls or lattices. With it you can create beautiful green rugs and give a very natural touch to our environment. To get more specimens of this plant, a simple option is to create an ivy cutting.
In order to help you reproduce your ivy, we are going to explain in this article step by step how to create a cutting of this plant. In addition, we will talk a little about how to root ivy, or rather how to know when it has taken root. We will also mention the care that this plant requires. So if you are thinking of making an ivy cutting, read on.
How to make ivy cuttings?
Before starting to create an ivy cutting, we must first check that we have the following materials at our disposal :
- Sharp, sanitized knife, razor, or scissors
- Universal or seedbed substrate
- A pot with a minimum height of ten centimeters
- Ivy
- Rooting hormones (it’s optional)
Once we have everything we need, we are going to get to work. We will explain step by step how to create an ivy cutting.
Cut stems
When we already have an ivy from which to extract the cuttings, we must take into account what type it belongs to according to its age: Young or old stems. In the first case it is the tender shoots located in the outermost parts of the branches of the plant. Normally, the first leaves are smaller in size and their green color is usually lighter. If the ivy we have is from the young ones, then we must cut the entire shoot, not just the part at the end that is more tender. Usually, the ivy that grows from these stems tends to climb a lot and be very vigorous.
On the other hand, if the ivy that we have is older, that is, when it has already borne fruit, the stems of it that are in the lower part become lighter and harder. The plant that comes out of the cuttings of this type of ivy usually forms a type of short tree with very little tendency to grow or climb.
Be that as it may, in both cases we must cut between 50 and 60 centimeters to be able to get several cuttings. We also have the option of cutting shorter stems, but we will get fewer cuttings.
The substrate
Preparing the substrate for the ivy cutting is not much of a mystery. You simply have to fill the pot of at least ten centimeters high with it. A trick to improve the settlement of the substrate is to tap the pot against the ground. Also, there is no need to tighten it by hand. We must bear in mind that at least two centimeters must be left free from the upper part of the pot, so that watering is easier.
Cutting the ivy cutting
When cutting the cutting, we must count four or five leaves or buds from the tip of the stem. The cut should be made half a centimeter below the last bud or leaf. This process must be repeated until the stem is exhausted. In the event that there is a tender bud at the end of the stem, it is best to cut it off and start counting from there.
After obtaining several cuttings with at least four leaves each, the next step is to cut the two lower leaves as close to the stem as possible, but taking care not to injure it. In this way we will have the cuttings with only two leaves on top.
Planting the ivy cutting
Planting ivy cuttings is very easy. We take a pencil, a stick or if not our finger and we make a hole inside the substrate. The size should be large enough to accommodate the cutting. In the event that the pot is wide enough, we can plant more cuttings, but we must always leave between three and four centimeters between each one.
When introducing the cutting we must do it almost to the first leaf. Then you have to press the substrate towards the ivy cutting and downwards. In this way we ensure that the contact between the soil and the cutting is greater.
Water
Now only the last step remains: Irrigation. Whenever we do a transplant or a sowing, we must finish the task with an irrigation so that the substrate settles and ends up expelling the excess air that is inside. In addition, this first watering is very important since the cuttings are surrounded by substrate with a thin film of water on top.
Thanks to its proximity, the substrate will be able to give moisture to the cutting as long as it needs it. In this way we will prevent it from drying out. It is also important to bear in mind that during all the time that the cuttings may take to root, the soil must always be moist, but be careful, it must not get waterlogged.
How to root an ivy cutting?
If we have followed the steps mentioned above correctly, the ivy ends up taking root on its own. However, if we are in a hurry we can help her with rooting hormones. These help the roots appear earlier, but in the case of ivy it can emit them on its own, without the help of hormones. If we still want to use rooting hormones just in case, we must immerse the ivy cuttings in them before planting them in the pot with the substrate.
But how long does it take for ivy to take root? If all went well, this new plant will get roots within a month of planting the cutting. However, this is not always the case. For this reason, it is more important to know how to detect when the ivy is already ingrained than to know how long this process can take. Generally, the ivy cutting has taken root when we can observe new leaf and bud growth. This means that it is already absorbing nutrients from the soil, which in turn indicates that it already has roots.
When is ivy planted?
Most of the plants that offer the possibility of multiplying them through cuttings tend to have certain times of the year in which it is more favorable to carry out this task, since they take root more easily. While it is true that in mild climates they can create ivy cuttings during any time of the year with good results, in colder climates it is best to do it in mid-spring or late summer. In the latter case, it is advisable to protect the ivy cutting with a transparent plastic and leave it in the shade.
On the other hand, when we find ourselves somewhere with very dry and hot climates, the best time to plant ivy or create cuttings is in early spring or mid-fall.
Aftercare
Once we have already obtained a new plant by cutting ivy, there are a series of care that we must take to maintain it. We will list them below:
- Light: Ivy needs a lot of light, but it should not be in direct sunlight.
- Soil: This plant grows well in slightly acidic or neutral soils and substrates. Yes, it is necessary that it has good drainage, since it does not support waterlogging at all.
- Watering : In the hottest months, two or three waterings per week will suffice, while in the coldest months it will be enough to water it once or twice a week.
- Subscriber: It is best to use organic compost for ivy, or liquid compost if we have it in a pot. It is very important to carry out this task, especially in spring and summer.
- Pruning : Ivy is a plant that grows a lot annually. For this reason it is essential to carry out a pruning. To do this, use scissors disinfected with alcohol and remove especially dry, weak and diseased stems. The best time to do this is in the fall and winter.
Apart from these basic ivy care, we must also be aware that it is not affected by any pest or disease. In this case, it is important to detect what it is as soon as possible so that it can be remedied and that it does not spread to other vegetables. Among the most common pests that can affect ivy are the following:
- Red spider
- Mealybugs
- Aphids
This plant can also suffer from certain phytopathologies, also known as plant diseases or plant diseases. Among the most common are the following:
- Bacteriosis
- Anthraconosis
- Powdery mildew
- Bold
Do you have everything ready to create an ivy cutting? Well, get your hands a little dirty! But keep in mind that ivy is a toxic plant, so we or our pets should not consume it.
