Questions & Answers

THERE'S A BUG ON MY IVY!

Topiaries in the House

QUESTION
I am making some topiaries (trained on wire) and they are pretty big. I've had trouble wintering topiaries in the house (spidermite) and would like to overwinter 'outside'. I live in Kansas City (Zone 6).

Should I keep my topiaries outside mulched in an unheated cold frame with my bonsai, or should I use an unheated sunporch which is a wee bit warmer?

ANSWER
Spider mites can be a real problem in the house during winter. Our homes in the winter tend to be heated with low light and most often, poor air circulation.They love that environment. I usually recommend a cold (not freezing) shower regularly to wash off and discourage insects.

Your ivy topiary would winter over in either situation. The most important thing is that you do not want the roots to freeze. The ivies can take it pretty cold. In Southeastern PA (Zone 6) I had a greenhouse for my ivy collection and I kept it at about 34-36 degrees. You should be very successful with the unheated sun porch as long as it does not go below freezing and stay there for very many hours. Why not use the sun porch and try one in the cold frame?

Let us know how you make it. Your information would be helpful to otherstrying to winter over ivy and ivy topiary.

Termite Fumigation

QUESTION
For the past two days my ivy trellis has been under a termite fumigation tent. It was not possible to move the ivy or shelter it from the fumigation gas. Now the ivy has about 50/50 brown/green leaves. The stems look gray, dry, and fragile. Today I watered the root area thoroughly. Is there anything more I can do to help the ivy recover? Would fertilizer help? Trimming the brown leaves? How much should I water? How frequently?

ANSWER
There is probably nothing you can do to save the ivy. Experience has shown that anything living is killed when tent fumigating for termites. In southern California where termites are a constant problem due to lack of freezing winters that help slow down the termite population there is a tremendous amount of termite tenting. We see lots of damage to the landscape from tenting if plants are under the tent. However, it is worth a try to save the ivy. Cut the ivy back to nearly the ground level and keep it watered. Do not over water but do not allow it to dry out. Regular watering my help to leach out any pesticide in the soil around the roots. If you see any signs of new growth start fertilizing with a diluted solution of liquid fertilizer. I would recommend about 1/3 to 1/2 strength directed on the package. If your ivy survives, please do let us know so that we can pass your information on to others.

MITES & ANTS

QUESTION

I live in Northern California and recently purchased a GORGEOUS 3’ ivy topiary. It had been living outside at the growers and is now inside in a north and west-facing window. Within a week, I noticed I had “mites”. I had been misting the plant about every other day or so. I put it in the shower to give it a good wash and get rid of the mites. It is also infested with ants who are now in my bathroom. What can I do to save this beautiful plant?

ANSWER

Unfortunately it does not take much time for mites to appear. They love the hot, dry, dark environment of living indoors during the winter. The regular shower and misting is highly recommended. Take you topiary outdoors and give it a good hard shower with cold water. Mites hate cold water. If the mites persist, spray with soapy water regularly. It only takes a small amount of dish detergent or Simple Green in water to be effective.

Allow the topiary to remain outdoors for a week or two but keep it in the shade and be sure it does not get frosted or suffer a hard freeze. Generally, we recommend that ivy topiary spend about 25% of it’s life outdoors in the shade. If you want a topiary indoors consistently, consider two and rotating them every two or three weeks.

Here in Southern California, ants are nearly uncontrollable pests. We have had luck getting rid of ants in ivy pots by drenching the soil with soapy water with a little bleach added. Mix one-part bleach with 20 parts water and some dish detergent or Simple Green. Wait 10 to 15 minutes after you make the mixture to apply to the soil. Make sure it soaks through the entire pot. It may take more than one treatment but generally we have only had to do it twice.

MOVING

Moving Outdoor Ivies

QUESTION
I have a stand of ivy in my side yard that I want to move to under a large oak tree in my back yard. Please advise me as to the best method of accomplishing this task. Also, how does one root ivy for planting in indoor containers?

ANSWER
You can dig up ivy fall or early spring and move it. If you are in a really cold climate you will best results transplanting in the spring.

Dig around the base of the ivy stem leaving as much root & soil as possible. Dig the new hole wider and deeper than the root ball. It is good to plant ivy deeper-- as much as 3-4" deeper if possible. That will secure the ivy in the ground and help to prevent drying while it acclimates to the new location. Water regularly making sure the ivy does not dry out but do not keep the soil too wet.

I would suggest mulching with almost any organic mulch like pine needles, leaves or chipped bark. This also helps to keep the soil moist and the temperature even.

You will need to give the ivy some TLC for the first few months but once it gets started it should be fine. It is always a good idea to keep newly planted ivy carefully water for the first year or so. After that you can practically ignore it (depending on your climate) and it will survive with the natural rains or normal garden irrigation.

New Light Conditions

QUESTION
I have a house plant (Hedera Helix) which was doing just fine in a non-sunny window, watered once a week for over a year. I moved it to another spot on the opposite side of the house. It still did not receive direct sunlight. Suddenly its leaves, starting at the base (where the dirt meets the vines) were drying out and dying. The leaves at the ends were still alive. I cut back the vines and placed the live leaf vines in a glass of water trying to bring roots to these vines to create new plants. (1) Is this wrong? (2) How can I create new plants? The pot with the cut down vines is still in a non sunny window. I am trying to bring it back. (3) Is this possible? (4) At this point is there anything I can do differently? Have I totally messed up? Please help!

ANSWER
There are probably several tips we can offer.

Ivy does do well in the house and can survive for some time in low light conditions but our recommendation is that it spend about 25% of the time outdoors in the shade. We know that this is impossible in some climates for part of the year but it is a good rule of thumb and giving your ivy plants some R & R outdoors when you can is always good.

Plants are like people, they like stability and routine and change is always hard. The new location may have the same amount of light but other conditions may be different like temperature, humidity and air circulation. Also, there may be some other factor involved like
location near an open window, or a heater/air conditioner duct or an appliance that gives off excessive heat.

From your letter, it sounds as though you water on a "schedule" and not according to need. Ivies should be watered when the soil feels dry on the surface. We recommend a deep watering making sure that water penetrates all the soil but do not leave the plant sitting in water. The water requirements may have changed when you moved it.

It would be best to move the remaining plant to a nice shady location outdoors. You will probably have to water more often but do check the soil surface first. Once you see the ivy begin to sprout apply a mild solution of fertilizer using any good liquid fertilizer recommended for foliage plants. Once the plant has begun to grow, you may want to consider moving it back the first location where it was happy. Again, giving ivy some time outdoors in the shade is always recommended.

Ivies do root in water but it is sometimes hard to move them into soil once they have established roots. We have some great information about propagating ivy on our web site at: http://www.ivy.org/clon.html.
This information should help you propagate and end up with new plants.

Unhappy Ivy on the Move

QUESTION
I had a beautiful Ivy on my file cabinet at work and brought it home to a very sunny room on a buffet, as it needed that much room for the length. The leaves are dropping off daily and they are turning yellow. Please help me save this plant.

Sad Suzie

ANSWER
Since I do not know the exact conditions at your office and your buffet I can only offer a guess as to why this has happened. When you move a plant from one spot to another it takes some time to adjust. Do you keep your home warmer than your office during the night? Ivies like warm days and cool nights. Because you say the leaves are turning yellow I would be suspicious of the amount of light the plant is getting. You mention the room is sunny, is the plant getting the same amount of natural light as it was in your office? Or is it all of a sudden getting much more light than it was in your office? This could have an effect too. Ivies like indirect light or a north window, warm days and cool nights and humid air. They should be watered when the soil feels dry to the touch. Since the room is sunny maybe it is drying out more often than when it was in the office. When you do water, make sure to water thoroughly and that water runs out the bottom of the pot but do not leave it sitting in the excess water.

To help the ivy recover, please check all the things mentioned above and adjust accordingly. If you feel the air in your home is too hot and dry try spritzing your ivy regularly or set it on a pebble tray and add water to the pebbles to evaporate up and around the ivy.

If you live in a climate that is warm, try taking your ivy outdoors and putting it in the shade for a couple of weeks. You can alternate between outdoors and the buffet and that should keep the ivy happy. Before you bring it in the house each time, give it a bath in cool soapy water. This should be done regularly. Use just a small about of dish detergent in cool water and dunk the entire plant into the water or take your ivy to the shower. This will help keep the ivy clean and bug free and it also helps to keep the leaves refreshed if living in a dry house.

Don't forget to fertilize about once per month with any good liquid fertilizer. Please follow all the directions on the bottle.

Winter Weather Worries

QUESTION

I have some pots of ivy doing very well in the entrance (outside) to my house. With winters in NY state (Rochester) I wondered if they would survive in this protected entrance way or if they would need to be brought into the house. How cold can they tolerate?

ANSWER

It is a good idea to move the potted ivies to a protected location if they will freeze in the present location. Although many ivies are hardy in your area if planted in the ground, they may not survive in pots. When they are in the ground the roots are protected by the earth as it freezes slowly and only to a certain depth. When ivies and many other hardy plants are in pots the roots freeze and the temperature goes lower than the ivies can survive. Also, when they are in pots and the soil freezes solid it is nearly impossible for the plant to take up moisture. When this happens and the wind is harsh it can desiccate the ivies much faster than when they are planted in the ground.

I hope this has been helpful and good luck with over-wintering your potted ivies. They do not need to be brought into a warm house but they do need some protection even if you are only keeping them at 30 degrees and protecting them from the wind.

Time of Year to Plant Ivy

QUESTION

It seems no matter where I look, I can’t find the answer to this question. I live in a zone five climate and have a wooded area where my home’s previous owners, kept horses and dogs...This has left zero grass but a beautiful shady area. I want to plant English ivy as a ground cover in this wooded part of my yard. What time of year can ivy be planted outside and expected to thrive?

ANSWER

The best time to plant ivy in your area would be early spring after most of the harsh weather has passed. This will give the young plants as much time as possible to get established and grow roots before winter sets in again. The first year you may not see much top growth but ivy will begin to grow roots as soon as it is planted. Although it sounds like the ivy will be in a protected area it would be best to offer some protection at least for the first winter. This could be a mulch of bark or leaves or even a landscape cloth designed for this purpose. Another tip is plant the largest plants available, as they will already have more established root systems and get started much quicker. The larger the plant the less you will need to plant. I recommend 6” pots or 1 gal pots.