Ivy. Growing a fast-growing vine

Ivy is an ideal ground cover crop for the domestic middle lane, and is also indispensable for vertical gardening. Planting and growing ivy requires compliance with certain rules, which will be discussed in this article. It is difficult to imagine the design of a personal plot in the spirit of European traditions without picturesque thickets of ivy, boxwood and yew. Evergreen ivy creepers are not only pleasing to the eye, but also give songbirds the opportunity to settle in the garden.

Growing ivy: the main characteristics of the plant

This genus of plants has 16 species, the most resistant to cold variety is considered to be the type - common ivy, also called climbing ivy.

Its evergreen perennial vines can grow up to 30 m in length, have shiny, smooth foliage of dark green color and dense structure. The shape of the leaves can be diamond-shaped, five-rayed, heart-shaped. The color of the leaves of various varieties can have their own characteristics: for example, "Goldhart" has a golden core, and "Thorndale" has whitish veins.

Ivy shoots are equipped with sucker-like roots that help the liana to anchor on walls, trees, stones. The racemose or umbellate inflorescences consist of small green-yellow flowers.

The inedibility of fruits for humans does not prevent them from serving as food for birds, which thus contribute to the spread of ivy. Ivy is widely known for its melliferous qualities and is no less popular with bees than linden or chestnut. The honey obtained from it has a white color and a mint flavor.

Ivy has long been prized by healers, sorcerers, druids and used to prepare decoctions that give rise to hallucinations. Modern medicine recognizes its bactericidal qualities, used to treat suppuration, burns, tuberculosis.

Ivy care and cultivation

Common ivy is one of the oldest inhabitants of our planet, preserved since the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era. Its age is estimated in tens of millions of years. Then the area of ​​its distribution was extremely extensive and occupied the entire territory from the Atlantic coast of Eurasia to the Caucasus Mountains, where it was replaced by the more thermophilic Colchis species.

Today ivy is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book of Russia and other European countries. The most winter-hardy specimens are registered in the southern part of the Baltic States; in the absence of a strong wind, they are able to survive frosts down to -30 degrees.

However, low temperatures are undesirable for ivy, which hibernates successfully under a layer of snow. The optimal habitat for ivy is mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, favorable proximity to oak and beech.

Human activities in deforestation negatively affect the population of this relict liana, which is gradually being pushed into inaccessible areas of the foothills. Ivy love partial shade and stable warm temperatures (from 20 to 25 degrees), as well as neutral sandy loam and loamy soils.

Ivy growing conditions, planting and care rules

Growing ivy: photo

In general, ivy is unpretentious in nature and does not require much effort to breed and care for it. It should be borne in mind that in regions with severe winters, it will not be able to reach its maximum length and rise high. Therefore, in such conditions, it is shown to be used as a ground cover crop.

With its help, you can effectively decorate alpine slides, reservoirs, paths, flower beds. The level of moisture in the soil has a great influence on the cultivation of ivy. He does not tolerate its stagnation, therefore, spring flooding negatively affects his growth.

The first 2-3 years of life, the vine grows rather slowly and needs protection from the through wind. Regular watering and fertilization will help him get stronger, and starting from the 4th year his annual growth will be about a meter.

Lianas used for vertical gardening of walls are best placed on the east or southeast side, and in fertile soils, the west and south walls are also suitable.

Ivy propagation is carried out by transplanting shoot cuttings. For this, semi-lignified shoots are suitable, on which 3-4 buds have formed: after removing the lower leaves, the cutting is placed in water. Long lignified shoots (8-9 buds) are also suitable: they are placed in moist soil and covered to the level of the leaves.

The right time for this procedure is the end of May - the first half of June. Cuttings can be grown in containers, after 2-3 weeks the shoots will take root. Saplings are planted in the ground in the middle of spring, when the temperature rises to +15 degrees.

The planting hole for growing ivy - 50 * 50cm is filled with a nutrient mixture of peat, humus, soil, compost or rotted foliage in equal proportions. You can also add a little lime to the mixture, and then pour in water. It is best to leave it on for 2 weeks, before the earthworms appear. The distance between the planting holes should be about 30-50 cm.

After planting, the plants need regular loosening and weeding, as well as weekly watering. Using oak bark as mulch will benefit your ivy plantings and give them a well-groomed look.

Ivy growing and care: useful videoWith the onset of winter, the ground around the vertical plantings is mulched with straw, and the vines themselves are covered with burlap after the daytime temperature drops to -10 degrees. It can be removed after the snow melts.

Ivy covering the soil does not need shelter if a dense snow cover has formed. Pruning, both sanitary and formative, is carried out in the first half of summer, at the end of sap flow. The application of humus and compost is indicated at intervals of 2 weeks from May to July.

At the end of summer and at the very beginning of autumn, it is recommended to strengthen the bark by adding potash or wood ash. The enemies of ivy are moles and mice, undermining the roots of vines. A sign of their pest activity will be yellow falling leaves, indicating that the root system is drying out.

Dry air and its gas content lead to the fall of green foliage, in this case it will be necessary to spray ivy 2-3 times a day. Dull, faded leaves indicate a lack of light. Weakened vines can be attacked by pests such as aphids and spider mites. But subject to regular watering and top dressing, this should not happen.

Leaves and shoots affected by pests should be removed, and the liana itself should be strengthened with nutrition, spraying, and improving the lighting regime. Growing ivy on the site will not only give it a picturesque look, but will also attract songbirds, beneficial insects to the garden, and will also help preserve the relict vine.