Thankyou for getting back to me. You asked me to re-submit my question. Perhaps you misunderstood my question. About one week ago ( I live in Toronto ) we transferred some of my neighbor’s ivy groundcover to my garden ( roots and soil intact ).Because the nightly temps have been near 0C, I have covered the transplanted shoots at nite. Starting this weekend ( Nov. 6 ) and all next week the temps are to be well into the teens and the lows at nite well above the freezing mark. My question, starting this weekend, with the warmer temps, should I be watering the ivy in the daytime and how often and how much or do you recommend nothing until spring. Thanks. Ian
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners.
As you are aware perennials which are transplanted late in the fall will not establish as quickly as those planted in spring, as a result fall watering deeply once a week before the first frost hits helps to establish transplants.
A general guideline is to keep watering as needed until the ground begins to freeze – usually in mid-October or this year it will be sometime in November. Plan to keep watering until the temperatures dip below freezing for a few days in a row. Always irrigate in the morning so the water has time to soak into the ground before temperatures start to drop again in the evening.
Allow the water to soak in, then water again until the soil is thoroughly moistened. To give an exact amount of water to add depends on your type of soil, since this affects watering frequency and duration.
In order to determine when and how much to water check your soil moisture by probing the soil with a trowel. Generally, you want the soil to be dry an inch or two below the soil surface before you water. Recheck the soil after watering. At least an hour after you water (or two hours with clay soil), probe the soil to see how deeply the water penetrated. If it didn’t reach the root zone, you may need to increase your watering. If the area is soggy, try cutting back on watering. Allowing the top inch or two of soil to dry before watering encourages deep root formation.
As mentioned in our previous response English ivy is considered an invasive ground cover in Ontario. Once it’s established in your garden it’s very difficult to get rid of. The Ontario government has created resources that list examples of noninvasive groundcovers . There are many beautiful alternatives for you to plant.
Good luck with your garden.