Ivy Room (Hedera) - a beautiful evergreen plant, a favorite of designers and florists. Its long, beautifully flowing branches with green or mottled leaves perfectly adorn any interiors as an independent plant, and as part of the composition with other room colors, for example Pelargonium or Fuchsia. Flexible stems with suction cups on their lower part allow creating interesting bush shapes: it is enough to install a bamboo stick in a pot, a ring or spiral of wire and ivy will literally "climb" on them.
Currently, more than 400 species of ivy are known, differing in the form and color of the leaves. There are leaves from almost round to deeply cut, from light green to dark with a motley pattern, with even or wavy edges. Ivy is a very unpretentious house plant, it can be safely recommended even to beginning florists. Let us dwell in more detail on how to properly care for room ivy.
Ivy Care Rules
- Lighting. Very few indoor flowers, and ivy, including, are able to settle for a small amount of light. This plant feels equally well both in the shaded corner of the room, and on the brightly lit windowsill. Avoid only direct sunlight.
- Watering. Equally undemanding is the plant and to watering: abundant moisturizing and sprinkling is necessary only during the hot season. In winter, watering is cut quite sharply, adding a small amount of water only in case of complete drying of the earth coma.
- Temperature regime. All kinds of room ivy are well tolerated by temperature changes and drafts. Plants normally develop as in cool rooms in winter (about 10 degrees), and in summer hot weather with a temperature of up to 30 degrees.
- Transfer. Young plants should be transplanted annually, adults - once in 2-3 years. It is best to do this in the early spring, before awakening from the rest period. Ivy likes close pots (only 2-3 cm more than the size of the rhizome) and a light substrate of equal parts of turf, leaf land, humus, peat and sand.
- Top dressing. In the period of active vegetation (from spring to autumn), the plant must be fed with mineral and organic fertilizers every two weeks.
- Reproduction of indoor ivy also does not cause any difficulties and is possible at any time of the year. From the ends of long stalks are cuttings with several leaves cut off and take root in water or a light turf mixture. It is recommended to plant a few (3-5 pieces) of cuttings in one pot, and after a few years you will get a thick falling down bush.
Possible problems with growing ivy
Ivy room is so unpretentious that problems with its cultivation are extremely rare. That's what flower growers sometimes come across:
- Rare leaves with dry and brown edges appear due to too high temperature and dry air. The plant must be moved to a cooler place and regularly sprayed.
- The lack of natural light contributes to the loss of color of the variegated ivy species, the leaves become even green.
- Falling leaves can be caused by excessive waterlogging of the soil. It is necessary to reduce the volume of water and water the plant only when the earthen coma is completely dry.
- Spider mite - the main pest of indoor plants is dangerous for ivy and causes yellowing of the leaves. Extensive lesions should be treated with an insecticide, small ones - sprinkled with clean water several times a day.
It is believed that the ivy room has a beneficial effect on the energy of the room and the health of the household.