If you grow ivy in the garden as a ground cover or as a climbing plant on walls or fences, fertilizing is usually not necessary. Things look different if you keep ivy as a houseplant. Here, ivy needs additional nutrients to thrive.
Do you have to fertilize ivy?
Ivy in the garden usually does not need any additional nutrients as long as the location is moist and not waterlogged. As a houseplant, ivy should be fertilized with a universal liquid fertilizer every two weeks during the growth phase from March to August.
Fertilizing ivy in the garden – necessary or not?
While ivy is the ideal ornamental plant for some gardeners to add greenery to dark corners or to form a dense privacy screen on the fence, others consider the climbing plant to be a weed. Opinions also differ on the question of whether ivy in the garden needs to be fertilized at all.
In a favorable location that is moist but not waterlogged, ivy grows as if by itself and does not need any additional nutrients.
However, fertilizing can't do any harm if you accept that the climbing plant will grow even more luxuriantly and spread more quickly. Fertilization is only carried out from mid-March to the end of July. You should not fertilize later.
Fertilizer for ivy in the garden
If you would like to provide fertilizer to ivy in the garden, the following types of fertilizer are suitable:
- Compost
- Horn shavings
- Bluegrain
- Liquid fertilizer
Simply distribute compost between the tendrils in spring. This also applies to blue grain and horn shavings. Use a commercially available shrub or hedge fertilizer as liquid fertilizer.
When adding liquid fertilizer, make sure that you do not exceed the quantities specified. Fertilize on a cloudy day. The leaves burn in direct sunlight. After fertilizing, you should give the ivy an additional shower of water so that the fertilizer is distributed better.
How to fertilize ivy as a houseplant
Ivy thrives better in the garden than in the room. To ensure that the plant grows well in the pot, occasional fertilizer applications are advisable.
Fertilize the ivy every two weeks during the growth phase from March to August with a commercially available universal liquid fertilizer (€18.00 at Amazon). Use less fertilizer than stated on the package.
Tip
Ivy as a houseplant should be planted in fresh soil every year. After repotting, you no longer need to fertilize the plant for several weeks.