Although the vine Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is mostly grown for decorative purposes, it is often used for other uses such as ground erosion control groundcover.
In the wild, it grows fast and climbs virtually anything, and can run across the ground. In addition, birds love the fruits from the Virginia creeper produces.
While Virginia creeper can be grown from seed, it is far easier to grow from cuttings from an older plant. In our guide, you can learn how to propagate Virginia Creeper plant (creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
By the end, you’ll see how fast does Virginia creeper grow and how to get the best Virginia creeper flowers with plant care.
It is good to know that as nice as Virginia Creeper is, it can set its main root and then spread to areas you weren’t expecting when you grow Virginia Creeper.
Will Virginia Creeper Grow From Cuttings?
Virginia creeper is a tough, creeping deciduous vine that can endure any amount of neglect and continues to crawl and climb. It is green in the summer and has blue berries and purple foliage in the fall.
Virginia creeper can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 3b and up. Summer is the best time for propagating Virginia creeper.
- Fill a transplanting planting pot with moist sand. Then, use your finger or a pencil to poke a 3-inch-deep planting hole.
- Choose a cutting from the tip of your Virginia creeper stem. Measure five inches back to the base of the plant, then cut the stem at a 45-degree angle.
- Pull any leaves from the lower two-thirds of the Virginia creeper stem, then dip cut ends in rooting hormone.
- Place these into your prepared planting hole until they are buried to around one-half inch from the first leaves.
- Place the potted Virginia creeper cutting in a highly lit area with shade and water the soil whenever the top is dry of moisture. A cutting can root in around 10 days.
- Let the cutting grow in the rooting pot until it gets to 4 or 6 inches long; you can then transplant it to a permanent location outside.
- Ensure you add water from taking the cutting it from the vine to planting it. Wrap in moist paper towels to stop it from drying out if you can’t plant immediately. Also, keep it from the sun until rooted, or it will die.
Hardwood Cuttings
This is a much more straightforward method. Early fall is time to take longer nodal cuttings between 10 and 12 inches with a sharp, disinfected blade.
Insert them six inches apart in a weed-free, well-drained bed, making that half of their length is in the soil. Over the winter, they should root and develop fresh growth in the spring.
Allow the cuttings to remain in place until the next fall, making sure they do not dry out throughout the summer. When the cuttings have lost their leaves, carefully extract them and pot them into excellent quality compost, making trying to keep as much of the root systems intact as possible.
It is good to know that as nice as Virginia Creeper is, it can set its main root and then spread to areas you weren’t expecting when you grow Virginia Creeper.
How Long Does it Take For Cuttings to Root in Soil?
Cuttings from the Virginia creeper are available in two varieties: semi-ripe cuttings in August and September and hardwood cuttings from November onwards.
Hardwood cutting is done after leaf drop in the dormant season, avoiding periods of severe frost. Just after leaf fall in late October or just before bud-burst in spring is the best time.
Take 4–5-inch nodal cuttings from half-ripened stems using a sharp, sterilized blade and insert them individually in pots with a decent quality compost. If you want to increase the drainage, even more, you can add more horticultural grade sand.
Removing the cutting from the vine and placing it in the pot doesn’t let it dry out. If you can’t plant it right away because of a delay or because the weather is hot, put the cuttings in a moist paper towel and keep them out of the sun.
Place the pots in a propagating frame or large heated propagator at a temperature of 13-16 degrees Celsius after the excess water has drained away. Keep out of direct sunlight as much as possible. (Read 5 Best Vegetables to Grow for Your Garden)
Once the cuttings have rooted, they can be taken out of the propagator and grown in cool, protected surroundings to avoid freezing.
Cuttings can be planted into 1-liter pots once they have rooted. Once the fear of late frosts has gone in the spring, they can be planted out into their final places.
Make your rooting medium from coarse sand or mix half sand, half peat, or half peat, half perlite. Add water to keep the medium moist but not over-wet.
- Fill a container several inches deep, level the surface with well-drained soil, and make sure the pot has good drainage holes.
- In late spring or summer, cut a section of the developing tip of Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
- Choose softwood cuttings that are several inches long, with newer leaves smaller than older ones, and a woody vine is hardening.
- When your Virginia creeper is dormant in the late fall or early winter, you can cut your hardwood cuttings that have many leaf nodes. Maintain a moist level of your cutting until it’s time to plant it.
- Remove the cutting leaves on the bottom half and dip the cutting in rooting hormone powder.
- Place the cutting in the prepared rooting medium.
- Using a mister spray, water your cuttings and cover the container with plastic wrap. Place your rooting container in a bright area but out of direct sunlight.
Mist to keep moist soil. - Once the cutting has roots in around ten days to 2 weeks, transplant into a flowerpot filled with moist, sterile potting soil. Keep the soil moist, and once your plant is stable in the pot after a few weeks, transplant it outdoors.
Space plants 5 to 10 feet apart as Virginia creeper clings to walls, and it can be hard to get to the wall once the plants are established. So instead, plant it in an area where it can grow, unimpeded for years.
Remove berries to stop it from self-sowing and help you retain some control of its growth. You can grow the plant in many soils, so long as the ground is moist. To prevent weeds, use mulch around your house or yard where you are planting your Virginia creeper.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia, or the Virginia creeper, is one of the best climbing plants for autumn colour and, like its closely related cousin, the grape vine, is amazingly easy to propagate.
Is Virginia Creeper Poison?
It’s a lovely plant; the stems have five leaflets and are attractive in May while still ‘Spring Green, however, it can easily run wild and take over your wall or yard.
The vine is often planted for privacy and is a perfect covering for a fence between you and neighbors as it hides the blandness of a fence or wall. In addition, the vine will grow about a foot higher than the fence, providing additional privacy.
The berries and leaves of Virginia creeper can be poisonous. The Virginia creeper’s berries resemble purple grapes and contain tiny oxalate crystals. If the leaves or berries are chewed, the lips, mouth, tongue, and throat can become irritated.
When most gardeners find the Virginia Creeper vine can grow up to fifty feet tall, they think that checking around their yard for enormous structures or trees; they are safe if none exists.
It’s far too easy to make a mistake and think it is safe to plant. The creeper doesn’t care if its length goes up, down, or across the ground. The plants won’t care if you have a large garden or a small garden, it can take over your shrubs and dig into your wall as it begins to cover your home.
Besides the berries, the deadliest component is the sinister underbelly. The vine spreads by suckers that connect to anything, so even if it’s concrete, brick, wood, steel, sheds, decking, or even your trees, it will spread where it wants.
If you catch it in time, the suckers can be readily removed; however, it can make an unsightly mess of your wall if you need to remove it later. Also, if your home is wooden, it can lead to rot setting in where water and the winter take their toll.
If you are keen on planting this, you need to make sure the roots are far away from your house and the length it grows won’t cause any damage.
It is okay to grow Virginia creeper, yet once you plant Virginia Creeper, the vines could be a challenge to get rid of.
