How to grow potted ivy?

Ivy, also known as Chinese ivy, hundred-legged centipede, etc., is a perennial evergreen climbing shrub of the Acanthopanax family. It is mainly used for ornamental purposes. In the south, it is planted in front of buildings, and it is an excellent plant material for three-dimensional greening. There are many potted plants in the north. Because of the variety of leaf shape and color, they are often hung as hanging plants in halls, corridors and scaffolding. Let's take a look at how to raise potted ivy.

Growth habits of Ivy

Ivy has strong adaptability to the environment, like relatively cool climate, strong cold tolerance, avoid high temperature and muggy environment, the temperature is above 30 ℃ growth stagnation. The requirement of light is not strict, and it can grow and develop in direct sunlight or indoors with insufficient light. Shade-resistant, warm, slightly cold-resistant, moist, but not waterlogged. The sandy soil should be fertile and well drained.

Propagation methods of Ivy

Ivy is mainly propagated by cuttings, which can be cut at any time as long as the temperature is suitable except for the severe cold in winter and the extreme heat in summer. Most of the cutting branches are young, and although the old branches can also be cut, their roots are poor. Generally, 1-2-year-old branches about 10 cm long are cut as cuttings and inserted in a seedbed with coarse sand and vermiculite as matrix or directly in a basin with loose culture soil. When the temperature is about 15-20 ℃, it can take root in about two weeks. The stem of the mother plant can also be cut and planted after taking root, and sometimes the stem of the mother plant can be buried in the sandy soil, revealing leaves, adventitious roots can occur in each node, and can be cut and planted in stages after rooting at the internodes.

How to grow potted ivy?

1, soil: Ivy is not strict on the soil, resistant to barren, like moist, loose, fertile sandy soil, avoid saline-alkaline soil. Generally, fertile loose soil is used as pot substrate, such as garden soil and rotten leaf soil. It can also be made of rotten leaf soil, peat soil and fine sandy soil with a small amount of base fertilizer, or by pastoral soil, plant ash and a small amount of base fertilizer. Plant ash can not only keep the potted soil loose and breathable, but also have more potash to meet the growth of ivy. It can also be cultivated with water moss alone.

2. Lighting: Ivy is a typical negative vine, resistant to shade and dampness, and can also grow in full light. Can be cultivated in bright rooms for a long time. In a dark room, it can grow well as long as it is supplemented with light. When a large number of branches and leaves sprout in spring, regardless of their flowers, leaves and green leaves should be placed in the sun and receive sufficient light, so that the branches and leaves will be luxuriant and sturdy.

3. Watering: the base of the plant with insufficient water in ivy cultivation is easy to lose leaves, and too much watering is easy to cause rotten roots. You can choose to water early in the morning or in the evening, lest there is a big difference between soil temperature and water temperature, causing adverse injury to the root system, and finally causing the plant to wither and die. Winter into the greenhouse for the winter, indoor to maintain the humidity of the air, not too dry, but the basin soil should not be too wet.

4. Fertilization: the management of water and fertilizer should be strengthened in the seedling stage of ivy to speed up the growth. During the growing period, especially in spring and autumn, liquid fertilizer can be applied once a week, or chemical fertilizer can be applied once a month. At the same time, it should be noted that the proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the fertilizer should be 1:1:1, and the nitrogen ratio should not be too high, so as to prevent flowers and leaves from turning green. In the process of plant growth, attention should be paid to pruning to promote more branches and make the plant shape plump. Potted plants for pillars should be often trimmed and heart-picked.