Ivy grows particularly well in the garden, but it can also be easily grown in a pot or flower box. The climbing plant is well suited for adding greenery to shady balconies. What you need to pay attention to if you want to care for ivy on the balcony.
How do you properly care for ivy on the balcony?
Ivy on the balcony requires a shady location, regular watering without waterlogging, annual repotting, growth period fertilization and occasional pruning. It is recommended to plant it in pots or balcony boxes with a drainage hole and to grow it on trellises.
Balcony box or bucket? Which planter is suitable?
Ivy can get very old. If you want to green your balcony with ivy in the long term, it is better to choose a pot that offers a little more depth.
If you want the ivy to stay small, normal flower pots or balcony boxes are sufficient. It is important that the planter has a good drainage hole. Ivy does not tolerate waterlogging.
The right location on the balcony
The common ivy prefers shady locations. You can even place the pots directly in the shade. Ivy is therefore particularly suitable for north-facing balconies that hardly get any sun.
Ivy is poisonous to dogs and cats. Place the plant where pets cannot reach it.
Care for ivy on the balcony
- Pouring
- fertilize
- repotting
- cutting
Ivy likes it a little wetter. If you grow it in a pot, you will have to water more often. Always allow the soil to dry superficially before adding new water.
You should repot ivy once a year so that it receives sufficient nutrients. It is also recommended to fertilize at two-week intervals during the growing season.
If the ivy becomes too big or too sprawling, you can cut it at any time. The plant tolerates cutting very well and becomes particularly bushy when cut back. Be sure to wear gloves when cutting, as ivy is poisonous.
It's better to pull ivy on the trellis
Ivy forms long climbing shoots that use adhesive roots to climb up house walls. Masonry can be damaged by roots. That's why it's better to grow the ivy on a trellis.
Hanging varieties that you can plant together with summer flowers are suitable for balcony boxes. These varieties do not form adhesive roots, but rather hang loosely.
Tip
If your balcony is located such that the ivy receives direct sunlight for several hours per day, plant multi-colored species. But make sure that the ivy is not directly in the midday sun.
