WITH decorative leaves They are widely used not only in gardening, but also in indoor floriculture for vertical gardening and creating original compositions. One of the brightest representatives is ivy. A spectacular plant with trifoliate leaves has an unpretentious disposition and beautiful leaves. However, besides this, it does not have a very good reputation, interestingly, in our country.
It is human nature to connect the events that happen to him with the environment and objects that are part of it. It is much easier to attribute the troubles that happened to him to a third party, or better yet, to an inanimate object. In particular, on Can I keep it at home? Signs say no. Let's understand the notoriety of the plant, as well as the peculiarities of its cultivation.
The name “ivy” is a genus of plants of the Araliaceae family, numbering 15 species. The Latin name Hedera for these plants was borrowed by C. Linnaeus from the Romans. Ivies are creeping shrubs that, as they grow, cling to support (trees, walls, etc.). The stems bear dense, leathery, angular-lobed leaves. Color - dark green, exist decorative forms with milky white stripes.
Natural habitat - countries of the Northern Hemisphere with mild climatic conditions, as well as Australia. In our country, ivy (see photo in text) is mainly a houseplant.
Signs and superstitions of various kinds have always been present in our lives. Some believe in them, others do not, and others listen. Quite a lot of superstitions are associated with plants in the house, and people often find it difficult to say where they came from. Most of it doesn't sound reasonable at all. For example, about a gift of a flower that dried up after a couple of months, and therefore was not presented from the heart. An absolutely untenable argument. Store-bought flowers often have weakened immune systems and are difficult to tolerate changes in environment and microclimate.
Indoor ivy also did not go unnoticed by lovers. Is it possible to keep this plant at home (signs are given in the text)? It is possible, and most Europeans do so. They don't need to put him in room conditions, beautiful plant entwines the house from the outside, covering all the walls with an even carpet of greenery. But is this such a significant difference?!
The main superstition about ivy is its supposed ability to “drive” men out of the house and to survive them. Agree, the plant is endowed with very impressive power. The ancient Greeks also treated ivy in a special way, but from a positive point of view. The plant was almost sacred, because according to legend, it was it that saved the life of the god of wine Dionysus (Bacchus). Since then, his images have been decorated not only vine, but also climbing ivy stems. The mythological properties of the plant, however, have a real basis. It, along with rosemary, is used in France to protect forests from wildfires.
Ivy is a climbing evergreen shrub and, who would have thought, one of the symbols of Christmas. This is exactly what spectacular plant Europeans, especially the British, decorate temples and houses. It is interpreted as a symbol of eternity and resurrection, affection and love. Ivy is used in pairs with holly, the first being considered a symbol of the feminine (requiring support and protection), and the second - masculine. In practice, the plant really amazes with its unpretentiousness and ability to survive even in the homes of the most careless gardeners.
Ivy grows a very voluminous green mass, and therefore is considered one of the most effective air purifiers. Enough useful quality for city apartments.
These facts answer quite reasonably whether indoor ivy is harmful and whether it can be kept at home. Signs are most often far-fetched and absurd. You should not blindly trust them, much less be guided by them.
Indoor ivy is a unique plant. By choosing it for your home, you can fill even the darkest corner of the room with greenery. He is very shade tolerant. However, variegated forms need sun to maintain a beautiful contrast on the leaves, it is best if it is slightly muted, avoid direct rays hitting the plant.
Ivy belongs to the evergreen, heat-loving plants. The most comfortable temperature for it will be 22-25 °C in the spring-summer period and cooler (15-18 °C) in the winter. You can take it out onto the balcony or summer terrace.
The plant prefers light, but nutrient soils. You can buy ready-made soil at a specialty store or prepare it yourself. To do this, mix turf and leaf soil, humus, peat and sand in equal proportions. Place a drainage layer, such as expanded clay, at the bottom of the pot.
Adult plants are replanted every two years, and young plants - annually. The most optimal time for the procedure is March-April. Select a pot 2-3 cm larger than the previous one.
For active growth, ivy requires regular and abundant watering. summer time. But don't overwater the plant. Low air temperature and excess moisture are a favorable environment for the development of fungal and bacterial diseases.
In winter, a mild dormant period begins. At this time, the plant is watered less frequently, but the substrate should not be allowed to dry out completely. Spraying and high humidity- this is what indoor ivy prefers. Leaves dry out and fall off very often due to dry air. If possible, periodically place the plant under the shower, covering the lump of earth with waterproof material. After such a procedure, it looks much more attractive and begins to grow with renewed vigor.
Fertilizing should be carried out once every two weeks, starting from March and until the end of August, alternating organic and mineral complex fertilizers.
Ivy can be propagated by vegetative or seed methods. Moreover, the first one is the simplest and can be carried out in three ways.
Firstly, propagation by apical cuttings. Cut off the ends of the shoots 10 cm long and immediately plant them in a damp mixture of sand and leaf soil, covering the top with a glass or plastic cap. This creates greenhouse conditions, and it is important to maintain constant moisture in the soil. You can first place the cuttings in water and wait for the roots to appear. Then plant in the prepared soil mixture.
Secondly, propagation by shoots is practiced. One piece of stem can produce several plants. To do this, take a shoot with 8-10 leaves and make a cut along it. Not too deep, it should be superficial. On prepared wet soil The shoot is placed cut side down and pressed into the soil 1.5-2 cm, leaving the leaves on the surface. Within two weeks, the plant will form roots along its entire length, a sign of this will be the growing tip. Then the stem is taken out and cut into several parts, each planted in a separate pot.
Well, the third one vegetative method- propagation by layering. The algorithm of action is the same as in the previous version, but with one amendment: the shoot is not separated from the mother plant, but is pressed to the ground with staples.
As a rule, outdoor specimens require pruning and shaping of the bush. if desired, you can also update and rejuvenate it, giving it the desired shape. The procedure is carried out in early spring, before the plant begins its active growing season. First of all, remove diseased and damaged shoots; you can simply pinch out young shoots in order to stimulate the development of lateral stems. To rejuvenate the bush, trim old branches at a distance of 1 m from the root at street conditions and half as much - in rooms.
As a support for ivy, you can use a wall, specially stretched threads, but they must be strong (the green mass is quite heavy), a decorative trellis, etc.
It does not pose any particular difficulty for flower growers.
You just need to comply comfortable conditions for healthy flower growth and development.
Why does ivy dry out? What to do if this happens? You will find the answers below.
Violation of these conditions can lead to various chedera diseases. It is advisable to know the reasons why your green pet suddenly begins to turn yellow and wither:
When transplanting overgrown ivy into a new pot, you can divide the plant by dividing the bush.
Photos of indoor ivy diseases:
At home, you can deal with pests using a solution of any insecticide(Karbofos) or a solution of ordinary laundry soap (dishwashing liquid is also suitable).
In the first case, the plant is thoroughly sprayed, not leaving a single leaf unattended, and after a week the procedure is repeated.
In the second case. Soap solution less harmful to the plant, therefore, the treatment procedure can be carried out 2-3 times a week. The plant is thoroughly sprayed and placed under a plastic bag for an hour, then rinsed warm water.
As mentioned earlier, to prevent ivy from drying out and getting sick, you need to follow the rules for caring for the plant, which you can see in the video:
Don't wait for your beautiful ivy to give you a signal for help. Follow the necessary care of the plant, be attentive to its needs, and the flower will delight you with lush, healthy greenery.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
Andra
Our front wall is covered with ivy. We love it, but we keep getting comments about how the ivy ends up destroying your wall. My usual answer is that you often see ivy on centuries-old buildings and they appear to be well preserved.
So my question is: is there potential danger Ivy growing on your (brick) walls, and is it worth removing them, or is it just urban legend, and should we enjoy its beauty?
(source: Ikar.us (Karlsruhe: Alter Friedhof), via Wikimedia Commons)
Edwin
I'm against letting it grow simply because you can't inspect the wall for problems and it makes repairs more difficult. At some point every brick wall will need to be repainted.
If my house weren't all brick and dilapidated, I wouldn't let it grow. Ivy unfolds and finds its way into any crack. As ivy matures, it becomes denser to continue growing. As it gets thicker, it pushes things out as soon as it gets into the crack. I have ivy on a chain link fence in my backyard and the fence is ruined.
Think about how ivy gets between your gutters and your house. At some times of the year it grows so quickly that you may have to check every couple of days.
Non-structural note: bad ivy (poison) can grow alongside good ivy. Removing the ivy from my back fence resulted in two poison ivy attacks for me.
Obvious note: ivy holds water. So anything that can decompose, rot, warp or anything else due to water won't last as long. Fiasco Labs also has some differences with their "suction cups" that they use for attachment. Within a year of a freshly painted house, they may cause you to need a new paint job.
There is some debate about the damage this could cause. Some types of ivy are self-clinging and will likely not have any structural impact on anything. Some types of ivy will try to invade cracks and crevices, so if you start with a bad brickwork, this may cause dissatisfaction.
But there are also arguments FOR THIS. Here's based on a study from Oxford University. Conclusion: Pristine walls likely benefit from ivy, but slightly damaged walls are aggravated by ivy.
Brian Knoblauch
Even if it clings itself, it still causes moisture to be retained on the wall, which is not desirable.
DA01
@BrianKnoblauch the linked article mentions that "a study funded by English Heritage also found bushes from water-related damage"
I regularly spend time voluntarily removing ivy, holly, bramble and other invasive species from the Portland Forest Park: 
(Note that there is no ivy visible here!)
English ivy is by far our worst problem. Armenian blackberry (formerly known as Himalayan blackberry) is another serious pest, but it only breeds in sunny areas.
Even if there is nothing wrong with the ivy in the house, such things! & $ @ # * Crawling through the yard into wild areas, smothering and eventually knocking over trees, competing with and interfering with natural vegetation and disturbing habitat. Ivy may be fine in dry climates where it can be controlled, but in rainy zones it is terrible.
My prejudice against the material continues even at home. I pull out the roots every time I find any evidence of this.
Where I find it sticking to the cedar siding, it made an expensive mess. The bricks are difficult to peel cleanly and where it has been for several years it looks like it is making hairline cracks in mortar or otherwise sucks it out of solution.
So even if I liked the idea of ivy on a building, I wouldn't do it due to concerns about damaging the ecosystem.
Fiasco Labs
Wooden structures? Absolutely not! Suction pads that ivy uses to stick to wood paneling, cause mold, and the moisture remaining underneath causes rot. If you live in Washington and Oregon, you'll find yourself living in an expensive compost pile when mold begins to attack the woods. Suction cups tend to pull paint off. You have to strip the ivy and repaint it with mildew-enhanced paint quite often if you want it to grow. It also penetrates where it might find a crack. We found it inside a wall in our T-111 side wall house when we remodeled.
I had quite a bit of ivy growing up in a 1920s garage and its rubber roof. It hasn't been cut back for several years. Removing the ivy was great job and brought out pieces of mortar and part of the stone facade. It was not structural damage, but still required some maintenance later.
The roof was a little more serious. The rubber roof was quite old, but when we drove up to the ivy, large parts of the roof came up with it. Once the ivy was gone and the new roof took care of all the problems we had with damp and mold in the garage went away.
You can basically assume that anything living that is attached to a structure is the equivalent weight of water, and that it will swell and shrink depending on the temperature. On a long enough schedule this can compromise the mortar even if the bricks are fine.
In the area with big amount freeze-thaw cycles, this time scale becomes much shorter.
According to popular belief, indoor ivy is considered one of the most controversial plants. It's hard to say whether he will make his owner happy or not. Let's see if you can keep ivy at home.
In the article:
Ivy
It is believed that if ivy grows in a room, goodness will reign in it. Psychics and bioenergetics claim that this plant helps settle family conflicts, reassures partners. It is recommended to buy it for easily excitable people or for hyperactive children.
There is a widespread superstition that if you keep ivy at work or in the office at home, then things will improve. All thanks to what the plant represents vitality and fortitude. Therefore, timid and insecure people are advised to keep ivy at home.
It’s a good sign if a plant blooms in your house married woman. This suggests that her husband is faithful to her and the relationship is harmonious.
Ivy is reliable. It absorbs the negativity of your guests. If a person comes to your house with the intention of harming you, the flower will prevent this.
Ivy (chedera)
It would seem that the plant fills the room with positive energy, attracts all the good things, and it is a must to have one at home. However, many believe that ivy has a scary feature.
It consists of: It is worth making a clarification - initially the plant absorbs negative energy, and if it doesn’t eat enough, it is taken as positive. Therefore, it is best to keep ivy on the balcony, in the home front garden. As soon as you feel that the atmosphere is heating up, a scandal begins, bring it into the room. Let the plant absorb all the bad things, then take it back.
If all the walls in the house are covered with climbing ivy, a single girl will not marry, since the plant will repel the opposite sex from her.
It was said above that for a married woman blooming ivy - good omen, however, according to another superstition, he will, on the contrary, drive his husband out of the house.
A vine that has fallen off a large and strong plant foreshadows collapse and large financial losses. Melancholy people who grow such a flower will become even more vulnerable.
Previously, it was believed that a person with whooping cough only had to drink ivy medicine from a wooden cup. After this, he will immediately improve.
To cure sore eyes, the leaves of the plant should be placed in water for a day, and then washed with this liquid. They even tried to treat blind people this way.
The ivy method was popular. The man tore off 10 sheets, threw one away, and hid nine under his pillow. That night he was supposed to dream about his future wife.
If the guy already has a fiancée, with the help of this fortune telling you can see whether she will be his only love and find out about her true feelings by asking about it in a dream.
As you can see, both good and bad things are associated with ivy. bad omens. Whether you want to plant this plant in your home or not is up to you. If you still have a choice, listen to your inner voice, it will tell you the right decision.
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Since ancient times, the house has been revered as a symbol of the Universe and family. That is why a lot of attention is still paid to its proper construction and aesthetic design. Often the facade is the appearance of the family that lives in it and can tell a lot about its owners.
Often, home owners put in too much effort and spend a huge amount of time and money to make appearance make the home as presentable as possible.
A house covered with ivy, like an illustration for a fairy tale
The easiest way to have a beautiful front lawn
Of course you saw perfect lawn in the cinema, on the alley, and perhaps on the neighbor’s lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area on their site will no doubt say that it is a huge amount of work. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, and watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think this way; professionals have long known about the innovative product - liquid lawn AquaGrazz.
The most interesting thing is that you can achieve a solid appearance for your home very simply with the help of the most common plants, found almost everywhere, but when correct design and placement, they will become a luxurious decoration of the facade.
Such plants, of course, include ivy. A house covered with ivy looks very aesthetically pleasing, because it retains all the richness and elegance of the Provence style.
In addition, such wall decoration has a number of positive functional features.
It is not at all necessary to completely landscape the entire home. It will look very nice similar decor on one wall, on the one that suits you best.
If this is the north side, then such a green carpet will serve as heat accumulation in the house. After all, ivy, during its growth, is capable of forming a certain air cushion between its stems, leaves and the wall, which preserves optimal temperature in your home, regardless of the time of year.
In addition, even in winter such vertical gardening looks quite good.
When you decide to vertically plant walls, it is worth remembering that for ivy better conditions growth than in shaded areas cannot be found (in the photo).
If the soil dries out in the winter season, it needs to be moistened very little so as not to harm the plant, because during wintering the moisture is less absorbed by it and evaporates very poorly, which will either lead to rotting of the root system, or at sub-zero temperatures will ensure even more intense freezing of the soil.
It is quite easy to do vertical landscaping on the façade of your home yourself.
First of all, it is worth remembering the basic rule of planting ivy - you should not place it in such a way that it interferes with the opening and closing of doors and windows, because this can damage both them and the plant itself.
It is best to position the overgrown ivy so that it does not entangle the windows, because, on the one hand, this will prevent normal entry sunlight into the room, and on the other hand, it will also add frequent, timely pruning of young stems to the list of household chores.
It is worth remembering that for optimal growth of ivy, a 25-centimeter fertile layer of soil is required, as well as timely application of a complex of fertilizers.
Since ivy can grow, clinging to walls, up to 30 meters in height, you need to take into account special fences or supports so that the plant can comfortably climb up.
Therefore, the main tool of this work, of course, is reliability.
