Hardly any plant can be propagated as easily as ivy. You can't go wrong with it. There are several ways to propagate ivy - all will work even if you have little experience in propagating plants. How to pull new offshoots from ivy.

Ivy can also be propagated by seeds

With these methods you propagate ivy

  • cuttings
  • lowering
  • seed

Grow ivy from cuttings

The best time for ivy propagation is from April to September. If you have a greenhouse, you can even multiply ivy all year round. To obtain cuttings, cut annual tendrils that are 10 to 15 centimeters long. Remove the lower leaves, at least two, preferably four leaves must remain on the cutting. If the shoots are very thin, cut off the top.

Prepare small pots with potting soil and insert the cuttings about three to four centimeters deep. The soil must be moist but not too wet. To keep soil moisture constant, cover shoots with freezer bags. Place the pots in a semi-shady place where the temperature is around 20 degrees.

If you want to continue growing the ivy in hydroponics, place the cuttings in a glass that you have filled with soft water. Roots will also form there after a while. Place the jar in a warm, semi-shaded spot until sufficient roots have formed. Then place them in a hydroponic pot.

care for cuttings

As soon as the first new shoots appear, remove the plastic hood and water the plants regularly with lukewarm water. Do not fertilize the cuttings!

Only plant the offshoots pulled in this way in the garden when the pot ball is well rooted. In the first year, the new ivy plants still need a light winter protection.

Propagating ivy by lowering

If you have little space in the house, choose the method of lowering to propagate ivy. For this you need tendrils that you can either pull down to the ground or that grow on the ground anyway.

Lightly scratch a selected shoot. It shouldn't be too woody. Dig a small hollow about two to three centimeters deep and put the scratched area in there. Cover the sinker with soil. Weight the area down with a rock or tent pegs to keep the shoot in the ground.

It usually only takes a few weeks for the sinkers to take root. You can tell whether the propagation has worked by lowering it by the fact that you cannot pull the shoot out of the ground without resistance.

Plant out offshoots

Wait a little longer before separating the offshoots from the mother plant. A few new leaves should have formed by now.

Now you can separate the young plant from the mother plant with scissors or a knife and plant it out in a prepared place in the garden.

Here, too, it is advisable to protect the plants from frost in the first winter.

Growing ivy from seed

Growing ivy from seed is possible if you have an older plant that will flower and produce the black fruit. To harvest seeds, you must not cut the dried flowers, but leave them on the plant. Only then will seeds form that you can pick the following year. Be sure to wear gloves when picking, because the berries are highly poisonous!

Ivy is a cold germinator, which means you need to stratify the seeds. To do this, put them in a freezer bag with a little sand and put them in the vegetable compartment of the fridge for several weeks. Check occasionally to keep the seed from drying out.

Prepare small pots or nursery trays with regular garden soil. Do not sow the seeds too densely. After pressing down lightly, cover them with a very thin layer of soil. Mist the pots with a flower sprayer.

Care of the ivy seed

Place the pots in a bright place at around 22 degrees. It usually only takes a few days for the cotyledons to appear. Now put the seedlings a little cooler.

As soon as two to three new leaves have formed, prick out the plants. Leave only the strongest specimens.

By regularly cutting off the tips, the offshoots become nice and bushy and compact. As soon as the shoots have reached a length of 20 to 25 centimeters, you can plant them in the garden. In the first year you should protect the young plants from frost, later this is no longer necessary.

tips

If you sow the freshly picked seed right away, propagation often works without prior cold treatment. It is important that the seeds in the berries do not dry out under any circumstances.

Category:

Indoor plants