English Ivy - growing vine stopped short

16 years ago

I pinched the tips off the three ivy vines (growing in same pot) in order the help the plant get more 'bushy'.

It's filled in quite a bit, but I've noticed the vines are not growing longer anymore. Is this to be expected? How can I get this to put out longer vines?

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Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
Ivy is extremely apically dominant, so if the vines are not increasing in length, growth is stalled. You don't say where you live in your user profile, and that's important. For example, if you live in AK, the slowed growth would be closer to normal than if you lived in FL or TX.

You can get it to produce longer vines by waiting for the plant to progress in its growth cycle and begin to grow in earnest, or correct the cultural condition(s) that is/are inhibiting growth. From your post, there's no way for us to tell what those cultural conditions might be, and the list of possibilities is long. Available light, temperature, poor or collapsed soil, lack of fertilizer, over/under watering, insects, accumulation of soluble salts in the soil, ..... are some of the most likely possibilities.

Al
epipren
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi tapla. I live in Southern California, zone 10a or 10b. The plant is growing, has grown over 200% since I got it 6 weeks ago, but it's only getting more bushy since I pinched off the tips. It was re-potted in fresh potting mix that has fertilizer in it, is well draining, and all my plants are thriving in this mix. it's indoors, watered appropriately.

I guess my question is did I stop the linear growth by pinching the tips? Where will the next long vine come from? From the tips that were pinched, eventually?
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We can see it now. Nice plant! Maybe someone can identify this. Love the arrow-shaped leaves. You can... Trim it or propagate it to create more plants. You've got a lot of potential cuttings there. Some people just insert the cuttings back into the plant pot to create a bushier/fuller looking plant. OR, if you prefer climbing/shaping: Create a trellis out of chicken wire or other netted looking wire for it to climb up. Insert a bamboo teepee type thing into the pot and wind the plant around it (you can also use craft wire for this) - I just use my glue gun on three straight looking sticks I find in the yard You can buy moss poles to insert in the pot from online florist suppliers Create molds out of wire placed over beach balls, stuffed animals, whatever shape you would like, stick it in the pot. Some wind the plant around the molds, some stick the mold over the plants. Oh, just to be clear, don't leave stuffed animals or beach balls in the pot, just create the shape. : ) Use wall hooks to guide the plant up a wall or staircase The possibilities are endless with vining plants. They are definitely my favorite for this. Now if I could just not kill my English ivy, I'd be ok, lol.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
When you 'pinch' the tip, you permanently terminate that stem's ability to extend further. You removed the apical meristem, the source of most of a growth hormone (auxin) that suppressed growth along the vine behind the tip you pinched off. After a short while, another growth hormone that originates mainly in the roots (cytokinin) takes over and stimulates many of the dormant and adventitious buds behind your pinch. Now, where you only had one stem extending, you'll have many. ALL of the new stems will have an apical meristem at their end that will suppress lateral growth in each new stem until you decide (or not) to remove it again. So, all the new growth that occurs will be your new 'long vines'. Got it? ;o)

Al

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English Ivy - growing vine stopped short

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

epipren
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English Ivy - growing vine stopped short

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

epiprenOriginal Author

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epipren
Original Author