This plant is evergreen, climbing, belongs to the Araliaceae family. English ivy (or common ivy), thanks to its petals, is able to cling to almost any object, thereby growing to a great height - up to twenty meters or more. If there are no tall structures or trees, it can spread along the ground.
English ivy has leaflets that look like hearts. The flowers have a greenish-yellow color, they can be observed in September-October. The fruits of the plant are poisonous to humans, but are rich in food for birds, which distribute ivy with seeds contained in their litter.
English ivy: breeding
This plant is propagated by cuttings, shoots or layering. Using cuttings, ivy is cultivated as follows: cut the cuttings and plant them in small pots, two or three units each, then cover with a film. The ideal soil for such seedlings is sand mixed with deciduous land. If the cuttings have aerial roots, then they have a much greater chance of survival.
By shoots, ivy is grown as follows. We cut off the shoot, which has about ten leaves, and put it on the sand. Now gently squeeze it so that only leaves remain on the surface. After a week or ten days on the stem in the place where the air roots are located, underground roots will appear (we constantly moisten the sand). Now we take out the shoot and cut it so that leaves and roots remain on each individual cuttings. Further, the stalk can be placed in water so that it is thoroughly rooted, and then it needs to be planted in a pot.
Layers of English ivy are grown just as easily. To do this, take long shoots and pinch them to the ground with brackets. After some time, if the earth was constantly moistened, and the shoot was sprayed, roots should appear. It remains only to transplant the plant into a pot, but you need to do this very carefully, since it does not feel very well at this time and can easily break off.
English ivy: growing
The plant is not so whimsical. Excellent English ivy (photo on the right) develops at home, for which he received the nickname home ivy. However, the soil should be constantly moist, in the summer it is watered abundantly, and in winter - in moderation. Top dressing of any type is very useful for this plant. To give splendor and decorativeness, it is recommended to pinch the ends of its shoots.
Transplantation is carried out only once every two years. To do this, it is always necessary to take a pot with a diameter larger than the previous one. Ivy ordinary loves the sun, so it needs to be grown in an appropriate place.
Occasionally, this plant can still hurt. If the room is constantly warm, then English ivy can be damaged by a scab. Cut off the affected leaves, and take the plant to a cooler place. With a lack of moisture, you will notice that the ivy leaves turn yellow and fall - do not forget to water the plant.