Planting ivy: when and how to do it in a pot or garden

One of the easiest climbing plants to maintain, which also offers you a spectacular view, is undoubtedly ivy. You just need to plant it and water it from time to time. In return, it will grow quite fast and could cover lattices, walls, or even the ground with its leaves. But, How to plant ivy?

If you are curious about this plant and want to know everything the plant needs for it to develop properly, here we give you the keys to get it.

What you should know about ivy before planting it

Ivy is a plant that has spread to many parts of the world, not only in Spain, but also in Japan, Asia, Africa … It is of an ornamental type and there are currently about 15 different species, the most common being the Common ivy, Canary ivy, Nepalese ivy, or Caucasian ivy.

You can plant it both indoors and outdoors and it is capable of being molded for horizontal as well as vertical gardens. It stands out, especially for its dark green leaves, with 3-4 oval or elliptical lobes with some white or yellow spots. In addition, it has small flowers that come out from spring to fall.

Outdoors it is capable of reaching 40 meters in length on its stems, although the normal is about 15 meters. These are woody and with its leaves it is able to cover the garden, wall, floors, etc.

When to plant ivy

Ivy is a perennial climbing plant, that is to say, its leaves are kept throughout the year as long as the conditions for it are given. This could make you think that you can plant it throughout the year, and the truth is that you can. But there are times when you can have a greater chance of success.

And, in winter, for example, its development slows down, especially due to low temperatures. Therefore, if you plant at that time, the plant may take longer to adapt and grow, putting it in danger (and making it not survive in the end).

The best time to plant ivy is undoubtedly early spring. At that moment the plant “wakes up” from the winter lethargy and is more predisposed to grow. In fact, you even have a lot more energy to do it. That is why this time is chosen to do it and be more successful than in others.

How to plant ivy

Planting ivy is something very easy to do as long as you take care of two fundamental issues: the location and the type of soil you are going to use.

In terms of location, ivy does not need direct sun. In fact, the best is place it in a semi-shady area, since it will be the ideal environment for this. It does not mean that it is not necessary to give it light, but that it does not need it as much as other plants. In addition, a few hours of sunlight will not do it any harm, in fact, there is a difference in the leaves between the ivies that have more hours of light than those that do not.

Regarding the land to use, ivy is a plant that requires a soil with a pH of 6 or similar. In addition, it is important that it be clayey, and rich in organic matter. Check that it is draining so that there are no puddles of water when you water it.

An expert trick is that, at six months of life, it is convenient to place a layer of humus or compost (we recommend worm humus) to enrich the soil and that this helps the plant to have greater growth and development.

Plant ivy in a pot

If you would like to plant ivy in a pot, you must follow the following steps:

• Prepare the pot and the soil that you are going to use. We recommend that you follow the recommendations that we have given you before.
• Make a hole in the center where the ivy will be placed. Now you can place the plant in that spot and loosely secure it with more soil all around it. It is important that you do not cake the soil as this will prevent it from draining well.
• Finally, put a drip irrigation the first days. First, you will prevent the ground from sinking more than normal.
• Try to keep it in a quiet place for the first few days, so that it does not stress, and then put it in a place with some lighting, or in semi-shade.

Ivy in the garden

Planting ivy in the garden follows the same steps as in the previous one, except that you have to relocate it. You must choose an area where it can be fixed, taking into account that it will not occupy the space of other plants (since it is very invasive).

Ivy care

Finally, we want to leave you here a kind of guide with the most common care that you will have to give to your plant so that it develops properly. In general, these would be:

Irrigation

Ivy is grateful for watering, but it doesn’t need a large quantity, nor does it need you to water it abundantly. In general, you have to wait for the soil to dry before watering it.

Usually, you have to water 2-3 times a week in summer, and 1 time a week in winter.

Now, if you have it in a pot, you have to be careful that it does not dry out too much. In the garden, the plant can be in a semi-shady area, and have the necessary humidity to develop; but inside the house things change. In winter, heating dries out the environment, and will cause the plant to suffer that humidity drought. And in summer with the air conditioning the same thing will happen.

Therefore, if you have it in a pot, we recommend that you also take care that there is the necessary humidity for the plant. This can be achieved by spraying water often as well as placing the plant on pebbles and these in a layer of water so that as it evaporates, it generates moisture.

Pruning

You should know that ivy can grow very quickly. In a pot you will have more control over its growth, but not in the garden, being able to invade the space of other plants and make them disappear. In fact, it is listed as an invasive species for this very reason.

Es so fast to grow and expand that you can prune it at any time of the year. Obviously, in winter, or when temperatures drop, its development slows down, which will mean that, if you prune it, it will not grow as fast as at other times of the year, but you should keep in mind that, if you don’t want it to run amok , you must control its size.

Do you dare to plant ivy in a pot or in the garden?