| I just need to know if I can propagate english ivy or any ivy from cuttings and how? Or do I need to buy rooted plants? I am wanting to cover my small backyard with ivy and how long will that take? |
| Yes, ivy can be propagated from cuttings, called leaf-bud cuttings. Here are the steps recommended in "Plant Propagation" by the American Horticultural Society." Select a healthy shoot of ivy, taking the length required. You will produce as many cuttings as there are nodes. Nodes are where leaves are joined to the stems. Cut up the long shoots, leaving one node with leaf for each section. Dip each cutting into a rooting hormone. Fill a pot with fresh potting soil. Make a hole with a pencil and insert each cutting so that the leaf is just above the surface. You can plant more than one leaf per pot, or if you have lots of smaller pots, use those. Lightly firm the soil and water. If possible place under cover to create a humid environment. You could put a plastic bag around the pot, but ensure that it stays above the foliage to create a mini-greenhouse. Use popsicle sticks or pencils to hold up the plastic. Cuttings take about 8 weeks to root. After that, you can pot them up to larger pots to become more vigorous and develop bigger root systems before planting outside. Ivy spreads quickly, but how long it takes to cover your background will depend on many variables, including soil, temperature, watering, how far apart you space the cuttings, etc. |
