Ivy cultivation

Ivy is one of the most common de-corativist house plants. It looks great not only with vertical gardening, but also as an ampel plant in hanging baskets and even as a ground cover in a flower garden.

Of course, most often ivy is grown in its natural forms, like a vine. On its stems there are aerial roots-suckers, with which the plant easily climbs on the wallpaper, panels, etc. But there are species of ivy, which do not have air roots, in which case the plant will need a special support. There are specimens that cover not only the wall, but also the ceiling of the room with their shoots.

For small-leaved plants, small-leaved plants are suitable for growing indoors - they can differ in color, shape and size of the leaves.

With great love for this vine, it is quite possible to collect a whole collection of different species at home - up to 30 or more.

The collection begins with several particularly decorative ivy varieties: the

variety with almost oval and rounded leaves( Hedera helix Harald, Hedera helix scutifolia);

variety with stellate leaves( Hedera helix sagittaefolia);

grade with corrugated edges( Hedera helix cristata, Hedera helix Ivalace);

grade with even edges, with a purely green color( Hedera helix Annette, Hedera helix Green Ripple);

variety with almost yellow leaves( Hedera helix Eva, Hedera helix Mona Lisa);

variety with spotted leaves( Hedera helix Jubilee, Hedera helix Glacier, Hedera helix Glorie de Marengo).

What are the conditions for

Ivy - a plant unpretentious, this applies to both illumination and temperature requirements. It can also grow in rooms that are poorly heated in winter( at least 12 ° C).With regular spraying, it will overwinter well at normal room temperature.

Preferred bright light( especially it is characteristic of variegated varieties), but it will develop well in the penumbra. In winter, you need to provide a lighter location.

Soil when growing ivy is moisturized regularly. In the summer, watering is abundant, the soil must be moist all the time. In winter - moderate, the land should not dry up, but should not be too raw. Excessive moistening of the substrate can damage the plant. But spray the liana as often as possible. Periodically it is useful to arrange washing under the shower.

How to make up the soil: it is best to use a light soil mixture based on peat and humus. Take 1 part of turf, peat, humus, leaf earth and 1 part of sand.

Our liana is very responsive to additional nutrition, and it can be fed any ready, bought in the store or traditional home fertilizers. From March to August, they feed the complex fertilizer for decorative and deciduous indoor plants. Feeding is carried out every two weeks. Ivy is good for infusions of mullein. However, frequent fertilizing can reduce the decorative appeal of small-leaved forms: the leaves become very large.

So that the plant does not lose decorativeness and is distinguished by the density of foliage and "fluffiness", the ends of shoots from time to time must be pinch.

Transplant the plant every two years in a pot of larger diameter. Ivy propagates very simply: stem stems or air layers. For better rooting cuttings can be covered with a glass jar or bag.

The impact of pests and diseases ivy is not too prone. But still a red spider mite can appear on the plant. In warm and especially dry rooms is affected by a scabbard. In this case, you should transfer the plant to a cooler place and get rid of the pest first mechanically - to cut the affected stems. Then it is worth treating the vine with an insecticide. Good results against many pests are treated with carbophos. Spraying is carried out very carefully, so that the solution gets under each leaf, otherwise after some time the pest will multiply again. Some growers advise instead of spraying to rinse out all the foliage of ivy in a basin with an insecticide.

Brown spots on leaves - a sign of defeat by Phylosticta fungus. If the diseased leaves are few, they need to be removed. If the plant is badly damaged, then it will have to be destroyed. There is this disease in violation of irrigation and air humidity regimes.

Problems of growing

Basically, these are common for all indoor plants lack of care.

If the edges of the leaves dry, get a brown color, the stem is poorly lined - it means that the room is too hot, dry air.

The leaves are small, the stems are bare, twisted -

the plant lacks light. But in general, in healthy adult specimens, the leaves at the base of the stem usually fall off with age.

The variegated forms lose decorative color, the leaves become even green - this is also a consequence of a lack of light. Transfer the plant to a brighter place.

Yellowing and falling leaves can be caused by a lack of moisture. Another reason is a tight pot.

Eliminate all these shortcomings of the content, of course, will not be difficult.

Procurement of raw materials

As medicinal raw materials use dry ivy leaves, less often - green shoots with leaves and bark. Prepare the leaves in spring or summer and dry in a shaded place. Shoots harvested in summer during flowering. Raw material is laid out in a layer of 4-5 cm and dried in the shade or in a special dryer at a temperature of 50-60 ° C, periodically mixing. Store medicinal raw materials in hermetically sealed containers for 1-2 years.

The bark is removed from mature plants in the spring, at the beginning of the sap flow, cut into pieces, left in the sun for waxing. Then it is dried in a dryer at a temperature of 50-60 ° C.To store such raw materials in a cardboard box it is possible long time - till 4 years.