Q. Last week I pulled the vines growing up the sides of
my house in order to paint the exterior. These vines included hacienda creeper,
Mexican creeper, Senecio, and creeping fig. Is there anything I might do to
encourage them to reattach themselves up the wall or must I cut them back to
the ground and wait for them to start over?
If you're looking for some vines for our hot desert climate, take a look at this pamphlet from the University of Arizona for suggestions. Pay attention to the exposure they recommend, north south east or west, shade or no shade, and the temperature they can tolerate. You are playing with fire if you select anything over 25°F for its cold, winter temperature tolerance.
A. Cut them back and they will grow back quickly to their
original size. This is because they are already established. Hacienda Creeper
and climbing fig should climb up the painted wall again and reattach to the
house on their own. These plants have established roots so they should grow up
the sides of the house quickly. Creeping fig is perhaps the slowest grower of
the group, but it will reestablish itself over time.
Pull some
of the stems toward the wall as they reemerge and they should start climbing.
Cut off stems that don’t reattach and those that do will climb faster. Senecio and
Mexican creeper are twining vines so they will need some help climbing again.
Adequate water, small amounts of compost once a year and regular fertilizer
applications will push them to climb faster.
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