Ivy care methods and precautions

Select the soil, pot it up, and keep the potting soil moist. Then improve ventilation to prevent scale insects; each time you fertilize, add an appropriate amount according to the growth condition, mainly nitrogen fertilizer. Ivy tolerates wet conditions and fears drought, so besides watering, you can also sprinkle water around the plant to increase air humidity.

Ivy care methods

1. Soil

Ivy has soft stems and vines that are easy to shape, and it can also be grown in pots. Pot it with ordinary potting soil, repot and change the soil once every 1 to 2 years, always keep the potting soil moist, place it in a shaded spot or display it indoors, and do not fertilize too much, but improve ventilation to prevent scale insects.

2. Fertilizing

During the spring and autumn growing seasons, apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 2 to 3 weeks. Variegated varieties should above all avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer, so that the patterns and patches on the leaves do not fade to green. Stop fertilizing in winter.

Ivy likes fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer. But when there is too much nitrogen fertilizer, it tends to grow rampant, which is not good for a beautiful plant shape. When phosphorus and potassium fertilizer are insufficient, the markings on ivy leaves easily fade. Young plants can be given, during the growing season, a topdressing every 15 days of fermented liquid fertilizer diluted 10 times mixed with an equal amount of 500-times potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution.

Mature plants are given a mixed liquid fertilizer once every 30 days. If mature plants are not fertilized routinely, when yellowing of the leaf color is found, 1000-times urea solution can be sprayed on the leaves 1—2 times. When applying fermented liquid fertilizer, use a fine-spout watering can and pour slowly along the rim of the pot; do not splash the fertilizer liquid onto the leaves, otherwise the leaves are easily burned.

3. Watering

Ivy likes moist soil and relatively high air humidity, tolerates wet conditions, and fears drought. After growth resumes in spring, keep the potting soil in a moist state. During the growing season, ivy should keep the potting soil moist. Because indoor air humidity is relatively low, you should often sprinkle water on the ivy leaves and around it to increase air humidity. After the temperature drops in late autumn, gradually reduce the frequency of watering and keep the potting soil on the dry side. When the temperature is lower in winter, it is better to keep the potting soil on the dry side.