Vine Gardening: Care & Maintenance
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| Photo Credit: Felder Rushing |
| On the West Coast, English ivy can become a botanical python. |
By their very nature, vines – whether they’re fast-growing annuals or long-lived perennials – need occasional tweaking to stay healthy and inbounds. Routine watering, fertilizing and mulching can keep them growing well and producing beautiful leaves, flowers or fruit, while pruning prevents them from choking themselves – or overrunning nearby plants.
Just like any other plant, vines need deep watering during dry spells. A slow soaking every few days or weeks is far better in most cases than regular watering, which can drown or even rot deep roots, or cause new roots to grow very close to the soil surface where they can get the air they need.
Annual vines need fertilizing at planting time and again a little later in the season to keep them actively growing. Regardless of what kind of fertilizer you use – natural, synthetic, liquid, granule, whatever – do not overdo it or risk pushing the vines too fast. Anyone who has ever overfed tomatoes knows what “all vine, no fruit” means. Too much fertilizer, especially nitrogen, can result in overgrown, rank vines, as well as root damage, burned leaves and, in some cases, dead plants.
Mulches have many benefits for vines, including keeping soil cool and moist in summer, helping prevent rapid temperature changes during the day (even in winter), insulating against freezing and protecting the trunks of plants from being damaged by mowers or string trimmers. Natural mulches of leaves or compost can also break down and enrich the soil around roots.
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| Warnings |
- Take it easy with fertilizers!
- Consider the impact of “weedy” vines on neighbors and nearby natural areas. Think twice (or more) before planting them, make sure they’re in a good spot for control, and take care to keep them inbounds.
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| Tips |
- Vines tend to send “canes” or long runners out in several directions, which means you’ll need to occasionally tie them to supports or clip them off.
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Next Steps
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Poison Ivy: Leaves of Three, Let Them Be
What does poison ivy look like? When it comes to this pretty – but for some, deceiving – vine, it’s important gardeners know what to look for, as well as how to properly get rid of it.
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