Can vines like vinca, purple wintercreeper, ajuga, and English ivy be rooted? If so, how? Can I just place cut-off stems in the soil?
My neighbor has some growing that need pruning, and I have an open shady spot that could use cover.
Alan
When your neighbor does the pruning, he/she is bound to cut away areas that are already rooted, since, for the vines, they root as soon as they touch hospitable soil. If you can get the rooted parts, you'll be ahead. But it's simple to just lay some cut vines on the soil, pin them down at the leaf nodes, cover with a bit of soil and keep moist. The ajuga sends out new plantlets on runners.....grab some of those and set in in the soil and keep moist. (Don't expect extensive growth the first year.....but next year you'll see true colonies.)
Best, Tyra nNJ usa z7
Putting cut-off stems in the ground might work, but I've found this method to be reliable for plants that root easily and quickly (wandering Jew, coleus, etc). Woody stemmed plants can be rooted by removing the lower 3" of leaves, coating with rooting powder, placing in moist vermiculite, covering with a clear plastic bag or placing in a greenhouse, and waiting 4-8 weeks. Keep the cuttings in a place where it gets bright light or brief morning sun. I've successfully rooted many cuttings this way, including rosemary, English ivy, azaleas, and mahona. If you get the vermiculite too wet, the cuttings will rot. The plastic "tent" keeps the humidity high enough to retain turger pressure. Watch the plastic over the weeks--you want just a little condensation; if too much open the bag for a couple days. At 4 weeks check for roots.
You can't keep Vinca from rooting any where, any how. I once stuck a
1' stem in a pile of builder's sand in full sun in the summer, and it had roots in a week. No experience with Wintercreeper. Ajuga a mint-related groundcover, not a vine. You can dig up a few plants which, if they like their new spot, will gradually multiply and spread. Ajuga is blooming right now around here and quite attractive. The way English ivy spreads, it *seems* as if it ought to take root easily, but some people have trouble. As suggested by other posters, replanting an already rooted section is probably the way to go. Although it couldn't hurt to put a few stems in water to see if the roots grow.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.