Updated at: 22-06-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

It merely takes two steps to transplant ivy ground cover if you’re interested in learning how. Increasing numbers of gardeners are turning to ivy plants as a dense ground cover. However, because of their quick growth, you may want to become familiar with transplanting them.

Overcrowded plants can attract pests and diseases. Make sure your ivy plants are well-cared-for and not allowed to become out of control. You can increase the amount of ivy in your landscape by transplanting the plants.

How To Move Ivy Ground Cover For Beginners

Step #1. Digging

Timing

Transplanting ivy ground cover in the fall or early spring is recommended. In this way, the plants will have a head start on the heat of summer. To avoid stressing your plants, pick a day that is cool and gloomy.

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Ivy can be used for more than just generating new plants in an area when it is transplanted. Keeping the plants in check when they’ve outgrown their place is also a good idea. When you’re ready to transplant your ivy, look for regions where the roots will take hold rapidly.

Technique

To get a better idea of how the plant grows, look at the vines. Ivy plants that are well-rooted and have a lot of leaf nodes are the most common places to find them. Lift the ivy with a shovel and a pair of sterile shears after you’ve clipped a section off the ground.

As a result, you will be able to view and loosen the roots around each leaf node. Make careful to leave an 8-inch gap between each leaf node while slicing. The ivy pieces should also be protected from drying out by preparing the transplanting place in advance.

Step #2. Replanting

Preparing the new location for your ivy transplants is advantageous, as previously indicated. Compost should be put on top of the loose ground before water is applied. Make sure there aren’t any grasses or weeds competing for the soil’s nutrients with the transplants.

In order to ensure that your ivy pieces are able to establish themselves, you should place them 10 inches apart. In these places, the roots will come into contact with the earth. Keeping the soil moist but not soggy is the primary concern for the plants at this phase.

Because they have the potential to be invasive, the transplants are likely to grow rapidly. A composted layer placed over the roots and regular misting can help your plants grow stronger. If your environment makes it difficult to establish the plants, you may also cultivate ivy ground cover plants in the greenhouse.

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Growing And Maintaining Ivy Ground Cover

If you’re looking for an easy-to-maintain groundcover, English ivy plants are an excellent option. A well-drained and nutritious soil in a shady area is ideal, but expect them to grow more swiftly in the second or third year. Tolerant of extremes like full sun, dryness, and salty soil once established.

Animal damage, such as from deer, can be an issue with these plants. These ground covers, on the other hand, can be kept in the greenhouse out of reach of animals. Brown patches on ivy leaves are also possible, but these can be treated with fungicides.

The blue phlox, northern lady fern, Christmas fern, and wild ginger are good alternatives to ivy as a ground cover if you don’t want it to become too overpowering.

How To Manage and Control Ivy Plants

You need to know how to manage and control the growth of ivy in order to keep it from becoming an invasive ground cover. Ivy plants respond best to a combination of mechanical and chemical techniques. Clipping or pulling the plants by hand would be sufficient if there aren’t enough of them.

Pull out as many vines as possible over the winter to keep ivy under control. A weed-eater or a vine-cutter can also help you save time and work. Once the plants have grown back, you can apply pesticides to them as needed during the growing season.

To control central nodes, gardeners commonly use a 5 percent glyphosate surfactant solution. If nodes still sprout, however, you can use a 10 percent solution. However, keep an eye out for any nearby plants that may be affected by the pesticides. Smothering or setting fire to ivy plants are some methods of ivy control.

How to Replant an Off Shooting Ivy Vine

For gardeners, ivy (Hedera) is prized because of its capacity to thrive in even the most gloomy of locations. Because of its little rootlets, ivy is a rowdy climber and may span the tops of arbors, fences, and even walls.

Rootlets develop new growth wherever they come into contact with the soil on the ground. These rooted offshoots make it easy to propagate and transplant ivy in the spring and fall. It’s possible to grow ivy in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9.

1. Select an Ivy Node

Use the current season’s growth to choose a healthy length of vine to work with. You’re looking for a vine that’s sturdy, but not rigid. You’ll need a trowel to dig a hole 3 to 4 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches deep at the base of the vine.

2. Plant the Vine

Instructs Master Garden Products, cover the vine’s tip with earth in the hole. To reach the sky, the vine must first descend into the ground and then bend upwards. There are new roots sprouting where the vine sways. According to North Carolina State University, bending the stem severely before planting it may encourage roots. There is no need for rooting hormone.

3. Water Until Rooted

The top 3 to 4 inches of soil should always be damp, but not soggy, when watering the vine. You don’t want the soil to get soggy or arid.

4. Prepare Planting Location

Spading the soil to a depth of around 12 inches is necessary before planting the ivy. According to the American Ivy Society, English ivy grows best in partial shade. Summer heat may cause the leaves to brown despite the plant’s tolerance for direct sunshine.

5. Amend the Soil

Composted organic matter such as leaves or manure should be buried 2 to 4 inches deep. The vine is kept moist and drained by organic material.

6. Take Ivy Cutting

Ivy should be cut off from the parent plant when it reaches 6 to 12 inches long, using shears or a knife. Carefully remove the ivy from the ground.

To avoid the spread of disease in your garden, make sure your cutting instruments are clean and disinfected. The University of Florida IFAS Extension recommends using Lysol to clean the blades.

7. Transplanting Ivy Plant

Ivy plants should be spaced 6 to 12 inches apart when planting, according to Yardener. Plant the bare stem in the hole after removing the leaves from the bottom half of the stem. Closely tamp down any loose soil that may have accumulated around your vine.

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Alternatively, you can use a mixture of sand and peat moss to plant the ivy. Ivy that has a tendency to become invasive can benefit from this method. Ivy from the Hedera helix and the Hedera canariensis species, both of which are common invasive plants, can grow in USDA zones 4 to 13 and 7 to 9, respectively, according to North Carolina State University.

Planting invasive species in pots is preferable because the vine tends to become weedy, which poses a serious environmental threat as it chokes out trees, shrubs, and other non-native plants.

Things You Will Need

  • Dry leaves and manure are examples of organic matter.
  • Spade
  • A pair of shears
  • home cleaners like Lysol
  • optional container
  • optional sand
  • The use of a peat moss supplement is optional.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a ground cover for your garden or greenhouse, ivy plants are an excellent option. Not only will mastering ivy ground cover transplantation allow you to expand your landscaping, but it will also allow you to deal with overgrown plants. Take the parts of ivy that are most likely to root and transplant them.

To avoid the summer heat, ivy plants should be transplanted in the fall or early spring when their roots have already established themselves. Ivy ground covers can be easily transplanted because they grow in even the most difficult environments. Always keep an eye on ivy plants like English ivy, since they have the potential to become invasive.