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these roots, go ahead and place the cutting in a small pot full of moist soil. Keep the soil damp for a few weeks, and then treat the cutting as you would a normal plant. To encourage a thicker clump of leaves, simply prune away any parts of the vine that are growing too long. This will cause more vines to grow in the center of the plant; thus, the clumping effect takes place. Just so you know, ivies do not have a flower. At least not the potted varieties.

Pests & Diseases

Since most of you will probably be growing your ivy plants indoors, you will not have much to worry about. Ivy plants are usually very hardy plants, and they can take a lot of abuse. If you over-water your ivy plant, then it could develop root rot. In which case, you'll need to cut back on your watering. You may also need to propagate the plant (mentioned above) in order to save it. It just depends on how far gone the roots are.

If your ivy plant is outside, then you may run into a few additional problems. Sometimes, certain types of ants called leaf-cutter ants will strip the ivies of their leaves. You'll know if it's leaf-cutter ants because in addition to your ivies being stripped of their foliage, so will everything else around them (maybe not the trees). Leaf-cutter ants are generally found in the countryside, and individuals who live in the city should not have to deal with these pests. If you do have leaf-cutter ants though, then bring your ivy plants inside immediately. And don't put them back outside unless you're certain the leaf-cutter ants are really gone.

Grasshoppers can also be a bit of a menace if they're really hungry, but most of the time, they don't seem very interested in ivies. Sometimes birds can tear up your ivy plant if it's outside because they may be looking for some leaves to place in their nest. Or they may just tear up the soil (and the roots) while looking for worms.

Ivy plants are a hardy houseplant that can stand some abuse. They are not invincible though, so be sure to take care of them. If you do, then you will have houseplants that can even outlast your pets.

Learn more about this author, Aaron Conor.
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