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Plant Propagation

How to propagate English Ivy?

18 years ago

What is the best method to propagate English Ivy? I tried some cuttings yesterday that are wilting fast. What I did was take two leaf cuttings, on new growth, dipped in rooting hormone and placed in damp Miracle Grow potting soil. Placed the pots under a shade tree. Should have come here first and asked some questions. Thanks for any advice.

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Comments (2)

chateauclubcrest
18 years ago
I did pretty much the same thing, except I used about a 2 inch section of the vine-y part and put them in a partly sunny area. I did this last year at the beginning of the summer and planted them late in the summer. I made sure to keep it sufficiently watered for the first week or so, then I just let it go. I'm using it to cover a small hillside that is too difficult to mow. So far, it seems to have worked. From what I've read, it'll really take off in the second or third year, so I've kept the area mulched to keep it attractive.

Good luck, and I hope you don't get too much hate mail over ivy--folks around here aren't real fond of it!
texas_nana
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for the info. I checked on them this afternoon and they were getting a little too much sun. Moved them to the porch for complete shade for a few days. Hopefully that will help with the wilting. How close did you plant yours on your hill? I am removing my fescue front lawn, putting in large flower beds and the english ivy under a large red oak. Will have a small area of a new type of buffalo grass. The area for the ivy is large. I figure it will take about 150 ivy starts to put a plant every 20 inches. I need success real bad. LOL

I have lived with english ivy in my back yard for over ten years. Was here when we moved in. Takes some work to keep it where I don't want it but isn't that bad. And I know I don't want it going up the tree.
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After cardboard is laid, much of the roots will die. When one of the roots does not die and manages to punch through, your choices are restricted. You can not dig it up without ruining the seal, and if you pull it, there will be more coming from that spot. It is the downside of the very organic method of cardboard+mulch. Yes, touching up with a paint brush is not organic. I also still have more than half of the smallest bottle of Round up you can buy. I bought it in 1998, and I never sprayed it, only applied with a paint brush. With ivy and poison ivy it is a must-have backup. In the case of poison ivy (my #1 enemy) you can not even dig the thing out without risking an ER visit, and the local largest PI vines are (or rather, were) thicker than my forearm and 100 ft long, and a root system to match. After you cut one such thing, no matter how much cardboard and mulch you put down, there will be dozens of shoots punching through within a 20 ft radius for a couple of years.
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Thorndale is just a very cold hardy cultivar of English ivy, Hedera helix. Boston ivy is a different plant altogether, Parthenocissus tricuspidata, a deciduous vine not ideally suited as a groundcover. Since English ivy is typically sold in its juvenile form and doesn't flower or fruit until its adult, arboreal stage, propagation is primarily accomplished by cuttings or divisions. If you can afford to be a little patient, it generally spreads quite rapidly - in fact, it is considered highly invasive in some parts of the US and for sure in B.C. Cuttings are very easy to root, but I'd wait until spring. Same with division - you want the plants to become established before you mess with them much.
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I read once that certain types of ivys and climbers should be cut back or removed at certain times of the year because they're not always in growth at the same time. It also said that it's best to try and remove them when they're not in their growth cycle, or should I say, when they're in their dormant period. I thought it was odd too, but hey, the book was right. If you can take a section to a reputable nursery where someone actually knows the plants, they may be able to help you identify which one it is so that you may take it from there.
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Reiterating the above - where you are will depend on its speed of growth. Where I live, I swear you can see ivy tendrils elongate by the day. I certainly need to prune back the wall of ivy my neighbors planted on their bank every few weeks in summer. And where you are located will have a bearing on the feasibility of even considering English ivy for inclusion in your garden. In wide swatches of the country, it is considered an invasive species and should be avoided. It also forms a very appealing habitat for rats and other vermin so think twice about this plant choice.
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