How to Propagate a Swedish Ivy Plant
Swedish ivy is an easy plant to propagate. You can get new plants from stem or leaf cuttings. These cuttings can be rooted in either water or a propagation medium, though the medium is preferred in order to produce a strong root system. With time and a little patience, you can start plenty of new plants to decorate your home or give as gifts.
Use a mix of peat moss, perlite, vermiculite or similar materials as a propagation medium. This mix provides the best aeration, drainage and moisture retention. Swedish ivy will also easily root in water; however, the roots that form can be very fibrous and stringy, causing the plant to have a difficult time becoming established after it is transplanted to a container of potting mix. If you choose to root your cuttings in water, keep the water clean and well aerated for best results.
- Swedish ivy is an easy plant to propagate.
- These cuttings can be rooted in either water or a propagation medium, though the medium is preferred in order to produce a strong root system.
Moisten the growing medium before use. Apply the water slowly in order to ensure uniform moisture. It may require two to three applications to get the medium moistened all the way through. The mix may look wet on the surface but still be dry in the middle, so check with your finger.
Cut a section of stem with a healthy crown of leaves at the end and carefully remove the lower foliage to leave a section of bare stem.
Dip the cut end of the stem into a rooting hormone and insert it into the propagation medium. Rooting hormones give your cuttings a supplement of auxin, a naturally occurring plant hormone that is responsible for root development.
- Moisten the growing medium before use.
- Dip the cut end of the stem into a rooting hormone and insert it into the propagation medium.
Snip off a healthy leaf along with a short piece of stem, dip the cut end in rooting hormone and insert it into the propagation medium. In two to three weeks the leaves should be well-rooted with new plants growing from the base.
Transplant the plants carefully into individual pots and discard the old leaf.
Place your cuttings in indirect sunlight for best root development. Insufficient light will cause slow rooting and full sunlight will be too intense and stress the cuttings, causing them to burn or drop leaves.
Maintain a daytime temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter soil temperatures may be up to 20 degrees cooler than the air temperature, so provide bottom heat if possible. The ideal temperature in the rooting area of the soil is 70 to 75 degrees.
- Snip off a healthy leaf along with a short piece of stem, dip the cut end in rooting hormone and insert it into the propagation medium.
- Place your cuttings in indirect sunlight for best root development.
Maintain high humidity around your Swedish ivy cuttings. Spray water frequently on the cuttings or place clear plastic above the propagation tray. Position the plastic so it allows air to flow around the cuttings. This ventilation will help you avoid disease problems in your new plants.
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Writer Bio
Angie Mansfield is a freelance writer living and working in Minnesota. She began freelancing in 2008. Mansfield's work has appeared in online sites and publications such as theWAHMmagazine, for parents who work at home, and eHow. She is an active member of Absolute Write and Writer's Village University.
