Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

English Ivy

Q. I cut off about 5-6 inches of my English Ivy and have put them in a jar of water. I plan on giving the plant to my mother when it's ready. I have like 6 pieces that I'm waiting for roots to grow. How long should it take for me to see roots and how long do the roots have to be before I transplant? My main question is, when the roots sprout and I put it in a pot, how do I get it to fill out? I fear with my luck there will just be 6 long scrawny stems and it won't be full.

A. I am thrilled that you are venturing into house plants. After getting your hands into the soil and seeing the results, I am sure you will become hooked and confident.

The roots will start to appear as swellings within two weeks, followed by white hairs that will grow quite rapidly. You need to have the jar in a well-lit window with no direct sun rays. Change the water to fresh every other day, or else bacteria will grow and hurt the cuttings.

When the roots are about 3-4" long, put all of them together in a 4" plastic pot. Buy a nice house plant potting mix. Place them all around spaced with soil holding each stem upright. Water in carefully and allow to drain into sink. Place in the same window with a saucer under the pot to collect excess water. Do not allow to sit more than 30 minutes in water or they will rot.

Do nothing now but let grow. After a month, give them a half strength fertilizer. Buy Miracle-Gro or Hyponex and dilute 1/2 what the label says. Give every week. When you see the stems are making new leaves and are firm in the soil, up the food to full strength and only every two weeks.

Then is the time then to prune. To make it bushy, you need to clip off the tips of all six stems. Cut back only an inch and to right above a leaf. That is where the new growth will pop out and make more branches to fill in. Keep rotating the pot to ensure even growth. Give it more light as it grows, AM sun is good, but protect from direct PM light.

Q. Last fall I planted about 20 sprigs of English Ivy hoping that it would overtake my yard. I realize that it may take a while before it starts to "overtake" the yard, but I've noticed that now (the following spring) the leaves are a dark color, kind of purple black and I see no signs of green. I had also planted several pansies in between the English Ivy and I'm happy to say they are still flourishing. Point being, I don't think it's been too much sun for the ivy, as otherwise the pansies wouldn't be doing so well. I want my ivy to grow. I am not sure of my region number, but I'm in northwestern Kentucky.

A. Immediately, I suspect fertilizer. Many gardeners do not consider ivy as a plant needed food, but realize that all your garden plants, trees and flowers need nutrients for good growth and production.

Start a regimen of 20-20-20 from a nursery or a garden center. Purple leaves denote a low amount of Phosphorus usually. Feed the ivy [and pansies too, for that matter!] weekly now that warmer weather has come upon us and the days are getting longer. You can mix with warm water and spray the foliage which will give faster results [called foliar feeding] or drench well. I predict that within one month you will begin to see good dark green foliage.

Judy writes~
I gave a friend a potted English Ivy for Christmas. It is very fancy. The ivy loops around a wire and is very decorative. She says she can't bring it into the office because it gets bugs. I told her I would write to you about it. Thoughts?

A. Tell her that plants do not just 'get' bugs in the office, the garden, in home. There have to be insects present to move over to a new plant once you bring it into an environment. There are two possibilities here, tell her:

First, the plant already has insects probably when she got it last year from a florist shop or nursery. That is very common.

Secondly, equally common, the insects were already present in her office when she brought it there. A careful inspection of any other plants within about 6 feet from where the ivy is may turn up the culprits and they must be treated immediately before any new plants are brought in.

Common house plant insects are aphid, mealy bug, scale, white fly and mite.

She needs to spray the plant under either condition above. Plus, all other plants in her office must be sprayed. I do not mean once and the problem is over. They need to be sprayed once a week for 4-5 weeks, say on each Friday as the office is departed.

A chemical insecticide is not necessary. there are other options, the best being Safer's Insecticidal Soap. It is organic and safe to use around people and pets, but must be reapplied for successful treatment.

Or, a general house plant insecticidal spray may be purchased from a drug store or garden center. Many brands are available, but I like Schultz and Ortho.