Gadenin日本語Get the appTake cuttings from young climbing growth
Ivy has two forms. The young juvenile growth is what almost everyone grows: lobed leaves, thin flexible stems, aerial roots at the nodes, and a habit of trailing or climbing. Old plants that have reached the top of their support switch to an adult form with unlobed leaves, stiff stems, no clinging roots, flowers and berries.
This matters because a cutting keeps the form of the piece you took. Cuttings from juvenile growth trail and climb. Cuttings from adult growth root into a stiff, self supporting bush that never climbs and flowers instead. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you are making.
For an ordinary trailing houseplant, take from young growth in the growing season. Spring and early autumn are both good; midsummer heat and midwinter both slow rooting to a crawl.
| Piece of stem | Use it? | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Firm juvenile shoot, lobed leaves | Best | Roots in two to three weeks, trails normally |
| Node with an aerial root already showing | Very good | Roots fastest of all |
| Very soft new tip | Fair | Roots but wilts easily. Keep it covered |
| Adult growth, unlobed leaves | Only on purpose | A stiff shrubby plant that will not climb |
Rooting in water
Water rooting is the easiest method and the most satisfying to watch. Expect white root tips at the submerged nodes in ten days to three weeks, faster in warm rooms and much slower below 60F (15C).
- Cut a piece with three or four nodes Cut just below the lowest node with clean pruners or a blade. A four inch (10 cm) piece is plenty, and longer pieces are no faster.
- Strip the lower leaves Remove every leaf that would sit below the water line. Leaves left in water rot within days and foul the whole glass.
- Stand it in a glass in bright shade Two nodes under water. Keep it out of direct sun and somewhere around 65F (18C). A jam jar on a north windowsill is ideal.
- Change the water every few days Stale water is the main reason ivy cuttings blacken instead of rooting. Fresh water every two or three days costs nothing and roughly doubles the success rate.
- Pot up at two inches of root Wait for roots two to three inches (5 to 8 cm) long with side branches, then pot into damp, free draining compost and keep it evenly moist for a fortnight while the roots convert.
Put five or six cuttings in one glass rather than one. They root just as well, and a full pot of ivy needs several rooted pieces anyway if it is not to look thin for its first year.
Rooting straight into compost
Cuttings rooted directly in compost skip the transition that costs water roots, and they are the better choice if you want a full pot quickly. Fill a small pot with a gritty, free draining mix, push five or six prepared cuttings around the edge with the lowest node buried, and firm them in.
Water once, then cover with a clear bag held off the leaves, and put it somewhere bright and out of the sun. Ventilate for a few minutes every couple of days so the leaves are not permanently wet, and keep the compost damp but never sodden.
You will know it has worked when a new leaf opens, usually in three to five weeks. Resist tugging at the cuttings before that: it breaks the fine roots exactly as they form.
Layering, for a bigger plant faster
Ivy layers itself given the chance, which is precisely why it spreads. You can put that to work. Choose a long trailing stem, lay a section of it on the surface of a second pot of compost, and pin it down with a bent paperclip or a small stone so a node is in firm contact with the soil.
Keep that spot damp. Roots form at the node within a month or so while the stem is still attached to and fed by the parent, so there is no wilting and no failure rate to speak of. Once you can feel resistance when you lift the pinned section gently, cut the connecting stem and you have an established plant.
This is the method to use for adult, shrubby ivy too, which roots poorly from ordinary cuttings.
Write down the date you took each batch and which method you used. Ivy rooting time varies enormously with room temperature, and after a season of notes you will know exactly which weeks of your own year are worth the effort.
Propagate responsibly
Ivy roots so readily that you will end up with more plants than you want. Do not solve that by planting the surplus out in rough ground, at the back of a hedge, or on a bank at the edge of woodland. In many regions this is exactly how it became an invasive problem, and rooted pieces spread from there without further help.
Give spare plants away as houseplants, keep them in containers, or bin the trimmings sealed rather than composting them where the heap sits on open soil.