People who are just getting started with houseplants should opt for Swedish Ivy. They require little attention to grow and survive.
This is a bushy plant and would grow upright first before trailing over the side of the container or pot.
Many people often try to put this plant in a hanging pot to showcase its beautiful leaves and stems. Swedish Ivy plants have glossy and scalloped edges. You will find the variegated Swedish Ivy as a commonly grown houseplant.
During the months of spring and summer, you will find mauve or white flowers. But the main showcase is the foliage.
It is important to know that this plant is not an Ivy or from Sweden.
But if you want to have a Swedish Ivy plant, you need to know how to take care of it. Let us take a look, in this article, at some of the essential things to keep in mind when you get a variegated Swedish Ivy.
Swedish Ivy care
If you are a beginner gardener, then you can easily take care of Swedish Ivy. Light and loamy potting mix are the best to grow a Swedish Ivy. Make sure to keep the plant in bright and indirect light all year long, as this will help it to thrive.
When you have this plant, it is essential to keep the temperature constantly between 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. You need to water the plant once a week. Ensure the soil dries out completely before you water it again. It is crucial to have good drainage and ensure the plant does not sit on the water.
You must feed the plant once every two weeks during the months of summer and spring. However, during the months of autumn and winter, you need to feed it once a month. Make sure to use liquid fertilizer and follow the instructions properly.
After flowering, you can pinch off the vine tips as this will prevent the plant from becoming leggy. Make certain you report the Swedish Ivy plant every couple of years. This plant grows faster in a humid environment, but it can thrive well in regular household humidity.
Do Swedish Ivy attract insects?
Yes, Swedish Ivy can attract various types of bugs and insects such as whiteflies, Aphids, Scales, and Mealybugs. Make sure you spray the plant monthly with organic insecticides or homemade green solutions. When it comes to diseases, the Swedish Ivy commonly has leaf spots.
If you want to propagate the Swedish Ivy, the best way is through cutting. You must cut a healthy section of stem that has a crown of leaves in the end. Also, remove the lower foliage and expose the bare stem.
Then prepare a pot with potting mix and dip the cutting in plant hormone, and put it in the pot.
Make sure to keep the pot away from direct light and in a humid place. Within three weeks, you will find new plants forming from the base. Then you can transfer the new plant and get rid of old leaves.
Detailed care to be taken for Swedish Ivy
The Swedish Ivy plant originated in the Northern Australia region. The plant requires bright and indirect sunlight. If you can place the plant under the morning sunlight, it is best for the plant. If you place it near inappropriate sunlight, it will have wide gaps between its leaves. The stem will also be a bit leggy.
Hence, we need to place the plant in a brighter spot. You must avoid putting the plant in a place where it gets direct sunlight. It can be a bit harsh for your plant.
Speaking about the water content, you need to keep the soil mostly moist. It will help the plant to grow actively. But during the winter season, you need to water the plant sparingly. Moreover, the plant grows best in moderately humid climates.
The ideal ambiance for the plant should be misted with room temperature water. As mentioned, this tropical plant does not grow well in a cold climate. Hence, you need to maintain a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius.
While planting this plant, you need to plant it in a pot consisting of moss-based peat. However, you need to use fertilizer every month. You have to dilute the fertilizer with water and put it directly into the soil. You must not feed the plant with fertilizers during the winter season.
Moreover, during the summer season, you can cut the sentence to grow the plant will. If you can keep the plant in a moist potting mix, it tends to grow well. This plant consists of thick stems that tend to grow upright in the beginning. Then later, it trails over towards the sides of the container.
You can put the plants in the hanging basket to showcase the cascading stems with thick leaves. The leaves look white rounded with deep veins and scalloped edges.
Moisture is the best place
Moisture is the best space for this plant to grow well. If you can moisturize the soil during its growing season, you will get the best growth.
Soggy soil will cause rotting in the roots. Despite the regular watering, if your plant starts wilting, it is perhaps due to the rotting of the roots. When your plant starts wilting more than it should do, you must take a deep investigation into the problem.
You must take a few cuttings from the stem area and propagate them. Make sure that you take the cutting from the healthiest stems. You should get rid of the parent plants as they will not recover how much you try.
During the winter season, make sure that you feed the plant with less water. It will slow down the growth of the plant. But you must not allow the plants to dry out completely. Before it does, you need to water it well and leave it for a few days.
If you maintain this, you can expect white flowers or pale lavender flowers to grow during the summer or spring season.
Prune and pinch
To make the plant grow vigorously, you need to keep running the plant regularly. It will help to keep the plant in proper shape.
When you see that the flowers start fading, you need to snip them off the stems. It helps the plants to branch further. Moreover, you can get much bushier plants in this way. If you want to propagate the tips, then you can go for it. The propagated stems can root easily, and you can get brand new plants.
Besides, you can indulge in the pruning method as much as you want. It will not hurt the plant. Instead, it will make the plant grow healthy. Ivy is one robust plant. Besides, this plant is neither of Swedish origin nor is true ivy. This plant belongs to the labiate family. It shares the same gene as that of the mint plant.
If you can plant it in your garden, it will grow quickly. Ivy is a fast-spreading plant. Also, there is a diverse variety of the plant. You can choose any one of them. Each one of them is easy to grow.
Where to grow Swedish Ivy?
If you can plant it in a hanging basket, it will provide elegance to your wall. Ivy is one of the easy houseplants that is perfect for indoor growing. You do not require much maintenance for this plant.
Average room temperature and a humid climate work best for this plant. Although during the summer you can move this plant outside, most of the gardeners grow these plants on the balcony or deck.
The best part is it tolerates pruning very well. You can prune the individual branches of this plant at any period. It does not damage the plant. If you can prune it regularly, it helps to develop some new branches. Make sure that you fertilize it well. For every new gardener, this is a great house plant to grow.
Just be sure that you put it in the proper light and keep it at the proper temperature. Also, too many nitrogen-based fertilizers can prevent blooming. If the ivy plant fails to bloom, then you must consider putting a low nitrogen fertilizer.
Besides, if you can re-pot the plant annually, it prevents wilting. You must re-pot this in peat-based soil. As when the soil is exhausted, the plant will start wilting. Hence, you need to re-pot it as soon as it starts wilting.
Growing tips for ivy
This plant does not suffer from any disease or pest problem. But sometimes, it can be susceptible to mealybug. When this occurs, the plant leaves and stems show some amount of white material formation.
During this time, you need to remove the mealybug to avoid any problems for the plant.
Make sure that you use cotton swabs to remove the bug and treat the plant with the help of insecticide.
If you watch spider mites, then you need to treat the plant as soon as possible. The web below the pale leaves of this plant indicates the problem of spider mites.
