How to Care for English Ivy?

You have probably seen English Ivy (Hedera Helix) in many English movies. Hedera Helix is a fast-growing plant and is a constant part of English gardens. For this reason, it is also known as English Ivy and it is mostly used to cover walls and insulate them. Continue reading this article in TooPlant in order to learn more about how to grow and care for English Ivy.

Introduction of English Ivy (Hedera Helix)

Before addressing how to care for English Ivy, please allow us to give you a brief introduction about this houseplant.

This beautiful creeping plant will have beautiful green and yellow flowers during summer and autumn that about 70 types of insects can use their sap. In winter, these flowers turn into tiny yellow or orange fruits that are a hearty food for birds. Pay attention! We said birds. It is better not to try them yourself because they are very toxic to humans.

English Ivy is very beautiful even in spring because its green leaves begin to grow and create a beautiful cover, and thanks to the high health of this plant, Common Ivy rarely suffers from pests and diseases.

Sometimes it can help cure your illness! Some parts of Hedera Helix are useful for treating cough.

In this article, we want to provide you with information about how to care for English Ivy, so stay tuned with Tooplant.

Care for English Ivy

In this part, we will focus on the most important aspects which you need to take into consideration while treating this houseplant. The best methods of how to care for an ivy plant include as follows:

English Ivy Light Requirements: What light is best for English Ivy?

Light is among the first important issues to care for English Ivy. The ideal place to put the English Ivy is a cool place.

Common Ivy is not very fond of heat, so it will not be a good place next to a warm skylight and a bright radiator.

Although it is cold, it also loves light, so a bright room that receives indirect sunlight is ideal for it.

Hedera Helix is growing tremendously, even in relative shadow.

The English Ivy plant or European Ivy is happy and satisfied in high light, shade and almost any type of soil! But he likes to be next to the skylight.

So, as shown above, light plays a significant role to care for English Ivy.

English Ivy Watering: How often should you water an English Ivy?

In the rest, concerning the tips of caring for an English Ivy, it is better to know that Hedera Helix, like many other plants, does not like waterlogging. Therefore, watering is another important aspect in order to care for English Ivy. Always try to keep the soil moist, not wet. Note that excessive watering can cause brown spots on the leaves. If you do not have much skill and experience in watering plants, you can add a little rock and sand to the soil to avoid possible problems due to overwatering. This helps the water to pass through.

It is also a good idea to use expanded clay. Especially for hot and dry areas, because clay stores water and as a result, the plant can use it in the dry season. Expanded clay grains are called Leca. Leca can act as a water storage for plants and prevent the soil from getting wet well.

Using the soil touch method, you can easily find out if the plant needs watering or not. If the soil surface is dry, the plant needs water. Conditions and the amount of soil dryness will change depending on the change of seasons and the amount of air humidity.

• Do not use tap water directly.
• Use rainwater or tap water that has been poured into an open container overnight.
• Drain excess water collected in the pot immediately.
• Reduce watering during the winter; But do not allow the plant to enter complete dryness. Moisten the plant from time to time.

The amount of English Ivy watering depends entirely on the amount of light it receives, but under normal circumstances, it is time to re-water the plant every 5 to 7 days. To determine the exact time of capital watering, you can check the soil. Each time the upper half of the plant soil was dry, it was time to re-water.

In this way, to care for English Ivy, watering is considered to be of great significance.

English Ivy Soil: What is the best soil for a Hedera helix?

Intending to care for English Ivy, the other crucial matter is soil. As a hassle-free plant, ordinary flower soil is suitable for European Ivy. You can also use horn shavings fertilizer to further strengthen the plant. The porosity of the soil is very important, a good soil should be able to pass water and not remain submerged in water.

Thus, it can be said that, soil is another basic and important issue so as to care for English Ivy.

English Ivy Temperature Tolerance

Now, we come to temperature which is assumed to be principal to care for English Ivy in addition to light, watering and soil that are mentioned above. If you want to know more about the right temperature for the English Ivy, a temperature of about 18 degrees Celsius with a little humidity is suitable for it. Because it grows well in low light and also needs moist air, you can also put it in the bathroom.

Otherwise, do not forget to keep the ambient air moist. Hedera Helix indoor plant can not tolerate temperatures below zero degrees and burns leaves in high heat and the ideal temperature for English Ivy is 16-25 °C.

Therefore, please do not forget to take temperature into consideration in order to care for English Ivy in the best way.

English Ivy  Humidity: Does English Ivy like humidity?

Moisture is another thing which we need to inevitably pay attention to when talking about how to take care of an ivy plant. This plant likes humidity and usually the humidity level between 50% and 70% is the best option. In order to ensure its humidity, you must use the same method of water tray and pebbles, which is also known as the island method. The moisture needed by the plant is provided by evaporating the water inside the tray. Also, spraying water once a week in winter and twice a week in summer is needed to maintain humidity.

English Ivy Fertilizer: What is the best fertilizer for an English Ivy?

When you want to care for English Ivy, one of the important questions that may come to your mind is “what is the best fertilizer?” In what follows, we will address how to fertilize this plant:

The mineral resources of the potting soil are limited, so after a while, with the depletion of soil resources, feeding to the plant also stops. That is why it is necessary to fertilize the pot of English Ivy. If you want the plant to have healthy and strong growth, you must give it the right fertilizer from April to September.

If liquid fertilizer is your choice, apply it to the plant every two weeks; But if you choose smart fertilizer, go ahead according to your fertilizer instructions. These types of fertilizers can meet the plant’s need for essential elements for a long time.

Ornamental deciduous plants prefer nitrogen-based fertilizers. Pour a small amount of liquid fertilizer in the plant water and add it to the soil. Never fertilize dry soil.

Fertilization should be done with or after soil watering. From September onwards, there is no need for fertilizer, because the plant gradually falls into hibernation.

As a result, we could say that fertilizer is regarded as one of the fundamental issues when someone wants to care for English Ivy.

English Ivy Toxicity: Is English Ivy poisonous to humans and pets?

In order to care for English Ivy, toxicity is considered to be a major issue because it directly relates to your health especially children. Hedera Helix is an almost poisonous plant, and swallowing it can cause nausea, dizziness or even nervous system disorders. In addition, the leaves of this house plant may be allergenic for some people and its contact with the skin can cause skin allergies.

Hedera helix Pruning: How to prune English Ivy?

Another thing to keep in mind when caring for an English Ivy is pruning it. If you do not prune English Ivy, it will grow about 20 cm per year. So it is better to prune it well with special scissors.

English Ivy Propagating: How to propagate English Ivy?

When you want to care for English Ivy, another important question that may come to your mind is “how to propagate it.” Hedera Helix or English Ivy can be propagated by cuttings. To do this, just cut a 10 to 12 cm stem from the plant and prune the lower leaves. Then put the end of the cuttings in the rooting hormone and put it in water. After a while, this cutting will take root and you can transfer it to the soil.

Does Hedera Helix (English Ivy) Have Any Medicinal Properties?

Yes, Common Ivy is used in a variety of medications; Hedera Helix leaves have anti-inflammatory properties and are as effective as ambroxol for bronchitis. This plant also contains polysaccharide which has a soothing effect. In ancient medicine, Hedera Helix was also used to treat benign warts.

Caring for English Ivy: Common Problems With English Ivy

After a description of taking care of an English Ivy, we will explain the problems and their solutions:

Why Are English Ivy Leaves Turning Yellow?

As “leaves turning yellow” is one of the common problems that you may face when you want to care for English Ivy, we will try to describe the reasons and the ways to solve it in details. Yellowing of English Ivy leaves is usually due to shock to the plant. This shock usually occurs due to the transfer of the plant to a new location, cold weather, excessive dry environment or excessive fertilization, which leads to the formation of salt in the plant soil.

Why Are Hedera Helix Leaves Turning Brown?

Hedera Helix leaves turn brown because their roots are too wet. This plant does not like wet soil and is always wet, and its roots are damaged by too much wetting; As a result of this damage, the roots are no longer able to transfer energy to the plant and the leaves of the plant turn brown in response to this.

Infographic Of How To Care For English Ivy

In this article, we tried to explain to you in an infographic the essential tips on how to care for indoor ivy, so that you can briefly and usefully learn the methods of caring for this plant.

In The End

In this article, we tried to provide you with the necessary information about the methods of caring for an English Ivy.