How fast can ivy grow

Grown as a climbing vine, hedera helix can grow to 40 feet, sending out rootlets that attach themselves to walls, fences and tree trunks. English Ivy keeps growing through the winter while other plants are dormant, thrives in poor or soggy soils, and is resistant to herbicides, making more aggressive measures necessary when trying to eliminate the plant.

Native to the Caucasus, English ivy cultivars flourish from United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through Leaves are a dark-to-bright green, often with silver or white variegation. Wrapped around the trunk and branches, English ivy inhibits tree leaf access to sun and moisture, killing foliage and, eventually, the undernourished tree.

Rootlets seek out existing cracks and fissures, using them to enhance holding power and occasionally penetrating the interiors of buildings through them. English ivy has 2- to 4-inch leaves with three to five lobes and prominent white or yellow-green veins. It makes an excellent ground cover or climbing a wall or fence. Sharon Sweeny has a college degree in general studies and worked as an administrative and legal assistant for 20 years before becoming a professional writer in She specializes in writing about home improvement, self-sufficient lifestyles and gardening.

Share this article. Ivy image by Tomasz Pawlowski from Fotolia. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, is classified as invasive in Oregon and Washington and is classified as a noxious weed in 46 states.

Ivy has two growth stages. The juvenile stage is the one gardeners across the nation recognize: dark, glossy, evergreen leaves with three to five points on tough, woody, climbing stems.

The leaves can be up to 4 inches long, and the plant does not flower or produce fruit in this stage. The adult stage is quite different, and in it the plant transitions to having rounder, lobeless leaves. It also produces whitish-green flowers in spring and small, bluish-black fruits in fall. Keeping your English Ivy in the best health is the most efficient way to promote healthy growth. Once the plant is established you want to move it into a larger pot so the roots have much more room for growth.

Moving it into a larger pot will allow the roots to spread further. Ideally you should go for a pot that is wider rather than deeper as it will push the roots to spread further rather than deeper, creating a stronger base. You should also ensure its placed into a well draining potting soil. By using this type of soil it will help prevent root rot from occurring and diseases that would otherwise hinder the plants growth.

Keeping your ivy in an area with moderate to full shade will help promote the most growth, but the plant will still grow in lighter areas just at a slower rate. Growing English Ivy in shaded areas also causes the leaves to grow larger than it would in areas with more light. In the initial phases of an Ivy plants life you should keep the soil moist to the touch to really enhance the initial growth stages.

Once the plant has become more established then you can start to allow the soil to dry out before watering it again. Regularly misting your leaves helps prevents pests from invading whilst also keeping your ivy healthy and promoting growth by simulating humid conditions.