Common ivyis a popular evergreen climber that tightly covers the walls of buildings, walls, fences and pergolas. However, to make it a nice cover, it is worth cutting it. Thanks to the correct cut, the ivy will branch well and thicken. Bycutting the ivywe can also inhibit the growth of a creeper that has already grown too large. Seehow and when to prune common ivyto make it a pretty garden decoration.
How and when to prune the common ivy?
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Cutting young ivy
It is worth cutting ivy regularlyalready in young, newly planted plants.
The best timefor cutting young ivy is spring , the period when the frosts are over, preferably the months of March and April. If we plant ivy in the spring, we can trim it immediately after planting. Plants planted in autumn should be pruned next spring.
In young plants we pinch the ends of the shoots , thanks to which the climber will branch well and will not be bald at the base. Usuallythe shoots are shortened by 1/3 of their lengthThanks to such a cut, the young ivy will nicely cover a given area from the first years of its growth.
In the following years, in addition to shortening the shoots,in the spring we also inspect the plants and cut out the frozen shoots , dead ones, bearing signs of disease or damage, as well as those that are aimed at the wrong page.
Cutting to illuminate and rejuvenate old ivy
Older specimens of common ivy can be pruned twice a yearThe first time the plant is pruned in spring, preferably in March, and the second time the ivy is cut in July.Cutting the ivy twice a year may be necessary when the ivy is too expansiveYou should not allow the ivy to overgrow areas where it can cause damage, such as gutters, windows, or roofs (it may grow under tiles).
July is a good time for a radical cut that shines through the old ivy, which needs to be thinned a bit or significantly shortened.Strong cutting of ivy in summer will inhibit its excessive growthand allow you to get rid of all new growths that have appeared since spring.
If we want to makerejuvenating the old one specimen of common ivy , all shoots can be shortened to a length of half a meter. Thanks to this, the plant will regain its vigor and produce many young shoots.
In July you can cut ivy shoots for rooting
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In July, we can also cut the stems for seedlings from the ivy . For this purpose, young growths are cut, which around the middle of July are already strong enough to be easily rooted.
Note!Juice flowing in the shoots of ivy may cause allergies and skin irritations. Therefore, always use protective gloves when pruning the ivy.
How to become confident in pruning plants?
If you are unsure how to cut or simply afraid to do it, the fantastic book "Cutting School" will help you. Thanks to it, you will gain confidence in pruning plants and learn to cut plants so that they grow according to your expectations. After reading this book, your approach to pruning plants will probably change completely!
