English Ivy problems & how to fix them
Hedera helix
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common English Ivy problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Spider mites
Its signature pest; warm dry air near heaters guarantees an outbreak. Tiny sap-sucking mites that thrive in warm, dry air and leave fine webbing and speckled leaves. Caught early they are very treatable; most plants recover fully within 3-4 weeks of consistent treatment.
a two-spotted spider mite among its silk threads
Photo: Gilles San Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Root rot
Yellowing, dropping leaves often trace to soil kept constantly wet. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.
Phytophthora root rot on a dug-up root ball
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Etiolation (insufficient light)
In dim corners stems grow long and bare with tiny leaves. The plant is stretching toward light it isn't getting: long gaps between leaves, pale thin growth, and leaning. Stretched growth never compacts again, but with more light all new growth comes in full and sturdy - the plant's future is good.
etiolated seedlings stretching pale toward the light
Photo: சஞ்சீவி சிவகுமார் · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Crispy tips (low humidity)
Hot, dry indoor air crisps leaf edges and tips. Brown, dry leaf tips caused by air that is too dry for the plant, common in heated or air-conditioned rooms. Existing crispy tips never turn green again, but with higher humidity new growth should come in clean within a few weeks.
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Parking it above a heater in winter, which brings mites and crisped leaves within weeks.
- Constantly soggy soil.
- Ignoring the first fine webbing until mites have stripped the plant.
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