The English ivy is a popular house plant option for a variety of reasons. Its heart-shaped leaves add an aesthetic appeal to any interior décor, and its ground-racing characteristic means that it is an important part of many landscaping projects. With the right care, the plant will excel indoors or outdoors.
Is your English Ivy droopy, falling, turning yellow or brown? Is it dying or dead? If your English ivy is exhibiting any of these symptoms, it is usually a signal that you are doing something wrong with caring for the plant. Fortunately, most of the damage can be reversed if you act on the problem early enough.
Are you currently dealing with any of these problems? Do you want to get your English ivy plant looking healthy again? The rest of the article will provide all the answers you are looking for.
English Ivy Leaves Droopy: Is It Dying or Dead?
There are many reasons why the leaves on your English ivy plant will become droopy. However, it is often as a result of adopting improper care approaches with the plant. Droopy leaves on the English ivy don’t always mean it is dying or dead. However, once the plant starts showing signs of droopiness, you should pay attention to ensure you are not doing anything wrong.
Can It Be Saved?
If you notice that your English ivy leaves are droopy when the plant is not too far gone, you can save it by adopting the right care approaches and giving it what it needs. If you correct the root cause of the problem, the plant will almost certainly return to peak form in a couple of weeks.
Potential Causes
Some of the causes of droopy leaves in English ivy plants include the following:
- Excess fertilizer application
- Excess watering and under-watering
- Too much sunlight
- Pests and diseases
- Unfavorable temperature
Solutions and Prevention
Here’s what you need to know about the causes of droopy leaves in English ivy plants as well as the right solutions for each of them.
Excess Fertilizer Application
Adding fertilizer to your ivy plant’s pot is a good idea, as long as you are not going over the top with it. This is especially true if you have a variant with variegated leaves. They don’t need as much nitrogen to create food when compared to their non-variegated counterparts. The excess nitrogen in the fertilizer will only build up in the soil, making it harder for the plant to take in water and nutrients. The result is droopiness.
Cut the quantity of fertilizer you use by half if you have variegated English ivy. With non-variegated options, adhere strictly to the recommended measurements and application frequency for your fertilizer.
Excess Watering and Under Watering
Giving too much water to your English ivy plant can trigger root rot. Once this starts happening, the plant will no longer be able to absorb water and other nutrients hence causing drooping and gradual decay. So, if you think upping the quantity of water you give to the plant is the best way to get it to recover from droopiness, think again! You’ll only end up worsening the problem.
On the other hand, English ivies don’t do well if you allow them to get extremely dry. The stress can cause droopiness. Pay attention to this during the winter when the lower light levels and the dry air from furnaces are a threat to the plant’s well-being.
Generally, you should water your plant in moderation. Use the finger test to check if the soil has dried out before adding water to the pot again. Pour water into the pot until you see some draining out. If your pot doesn’t allow water to drain out, get one that does—otherwise, you’ll still run the risk of overwatering. Similarly, don’t allow the pot to sit in a saucer filled with the drained out water for long.
Too Much Sunlight
English ivies generally thrive in medium light. Allowing them to be exposed under too much sunlight can lead to droopiness. This is especially true for the variegated types as they need less direct sunlight compared to those with standard green leaves.
Conversely, growing your ivies in low light is not a good idea. They may survive for a while, but the leaves will remain droopy until the day the plant finally dies. Therefore, the best solution is to ensure some balance. Keep the plant near the window where it can feel the natural light, but without getting scorched by the sun.
Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases can make leaves on your ivy plant droopy. Mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids are all some insects that can feed on the juices on the leaves. Watch out for white residue on the leaves or small web-like structures under the leaves. The insects that can cause this type of damage tend to reproduce very quickly, so you need to get on top of the situation fast. You can get rid of the insects by spraying water on the leaves, or applying Neem oil.
Viral and bacterial can also affect the English ivy. Some of the insects mentioned above can trigger bacterial diseases. Viral diseases, on the other hand, tend to live in the soil. To avoid diseases for your English ivy, get rid of insects, and pay attention to the source of the soil in your pot. If a few leaves are looking droopy and showing signs of disease, cut them off to reduce the chances of the disease spreading.
Unfavorable Temperature
English ivies are not native to the US. They originated in Europe. This means that they don’t really do well in hot temperatures when compared to tropical plants. They also don’t thrive in extremely cold weather as well.
If you are growing your ivy in rooms with temperatures outside 50 to 70°F (10 to 21°C), the leaves might look droopy.
English Ivy Turning Yellow or Brown: Is It Dying or Dead?
The leaves on your English ivy turning yellow or brown is one of the tell-tales that there is an underlying problem. In many cases, such problems can be reversed with time—as long as you take action to find what’s causing the color change.
Can It Be Saved?
If you are thinking about how to save the rest of your ivy from turning yellow or brown, then yes, it can be saved. If you are thinking of getting the yellow leaves green again, that’s not possible, unfortunately.
Once an English ivy leaf has turned yellow or brown, there is nothing you can do for it anymore. You can either let it fall off on its own or cut it off. If you solve the problem that led to the color change, however, you’ll ensure other leaves don’t follow suit in the coming days or weeks.
Potential Causes
Some of the reasons that can make your English ivy turn yellow or brown include the following:
- Inadequate light
- Wrong approach to watering
- Too much salt in the soil
- Lack of nitrogen in the soil
- Roots outgrowing the pot
- Pests
Solution and Prevention
Here’s a closer look at the reasons why your English ivy is turning yellow or brown and what you can do about them.
Inadequate Light
As stated earlier, English ivies don’t thrive in low light environments. If you find that the leaves are turning yellow, it may be time to get the plant a bit closer to the window. This is especially true if you find out that the leaves most affected are the older ones.
However, be careful not to create a new problem by moving the plant under direct sunlight immediately. Move it closer to the light every few days until you have placed it in an optimal position where it is getting enough sunlight without being directly under the sun. If this approach isn’t practical, consider installing a fluorescent bulb close to your preferred position for the plant.
Wrong Approach to Watering
The leaves on your English Ivy turning yellow or brown can also be a sign that your plant is either not getting enough water or getting too much. As you’ve seen above, make sure you are using a pot that allows water to drain out to avoid waterlogging and damaging the plant’s roots. On the other hand, always water the plant as soon as you feel the top inch of the potting soil drying out.
Too Much Salt in the Soil
Yellow or brown English ivy leaves can also signal excess salt in the soil. This can happen when you use too much fertilizer, or when there isn’t adequate drainage in the pot. Your tap water and old potting mix can also add to the accumulation of salt in the soil.
To solve this problem, get a pot that allows proper water drainage and ensure you always water the plant well enough. You should also ensure you are only using the right quantity of fertilizer for your type of English ivy.
Lack of Nitrogen in the soil
Just as too much fertilizer in the soil can turn your ivy leaves yellow or brown, adding very little fertilizer to the soil or fertilizer with poor nitrogen content can also cause the same outcome. Ivy plants have a lot of leaves, so they need the right balance of nitrogen if you want the leaves to appear healthy and fresh.
Consider changing your fertilizer to one with higher nitrogen content. Also, make sure you fertilize the plant at least once a month when it is actively growing.
Roots Outgrowing the Pot
If the pot holding your English ivy is filled with roots, there won’t be enough room in the pot for water and nutrients to circulate. When this continues for a while, the leaves will start to turn yellow or brown.
The best solution for this is to repot the plant. Ideally, you should consider getting a pot that is two inches larger than the pot you are currently using.
Pests
Insects like spider mites and whiteflies are some examples of pests that can cause yellowing of leaves as they feed on them. As the spots they leave behind expand, you’ll have more widespread yellowing. As you’ve seen above, spraying water on the leaves or using Neem oil can work against these pests. Alternatively, cut off the affected leaves and wipe down the rest of the plant with a mild alcohol mix—if the size of your plant allows this to be a practical approach.
English Ivy Leaves Falling: Is It Dying or Dead?
If your ivy plant’s leaves are falling, it is a sign of a serious underlying problem. This is because ivy plants are evergreen, which means they don’t lose their leaves all year round. A few leaves can drop off in strong winds, but if you are witnessing mass leaf loss, it is time to take action.
Can It Be Saved?
As is the case with other forms of English ivy problems, the leaf loss can be stopped if you can find the problem responsible for it and solve it. However, there is one cause of leaf loss that the plant will most likely not recover from, as you’ll see below.
Potential Causes
If you find your English ivy leaves falling en masse, you could be looking at the following causes:
- Unfavorable environmental conditions
- Pests
- Root rot and aerial blight
Solution and Prevention
Here is a closer look at why your English ivy leaves are falling and the best solutions:
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 29, 2020.
Unfavorable Environmental Conditions
Your indoor ivy plant losing leaves is a sign of environmental imbalance. This is especially true if it is happening during the winter, where keeping the plant close to drafty windows and doors can trigger leaf loss. The dry winter air from heating your home may also lead to the same results.
To solve this problem, move the plant to a spot where the draft isn’t a problem and increase the humidity in the environment with a humidifier. Some options you should consider include Homasy Cool Mist, Geniani Top Fill, and Honeywell HCM350W.
Pests
You’ve already seen how insects can pose a threat to the health of your ivy plants, but they can also be the culprit if you find the leaves on your plant falling off. This is especially true if the leaves feel sticky and turn yellow or brown before falling off. The usual suspects still apply here: mealybugs, aphids, and scale.
Hose down the plant or apply insecticidal soap to treat pest infestations.
Aerial Blight and Root Rot
Aerial blight and Rhizoctonia root rot are two plant diseases that always combine to damage ivy plants. If your plant develops this disease combination, it will start dropping leaves. The case for this disease being the cause of the problem grows stronger if you find brown lesions and reddish blotches on the foliage. Unfortunately, there is no recovery for your plant once this disease has settled in. Consider growing fresh English ivy with new potting soil.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 29, 2020.
The solutions above assume you have covered the basics, such as using adequate fertilizer, growing the plant in a pot that is the right size, and ensuring adequate watering.
English Ivy Not Droopy nor Leaves Falling but Dying
If you find your English ivy looking frail with exactly having droopy leaves or shedding lots of leaves, it could be an early warning sign that something is wrong. It may only be a matter of time before the problem becomes evident. Any of the potential causes of English ivy problems can be keeping your plant from looking fresh. They include the following:
- Pest infestation
- Excess or under fertilization
- Unfavorable temperature
- Excess or under watering
- Inadequate light
- Excessive sunlight
- Lack of nitrogen
- Excess salt in the soil
- Plant outgrowing the pot
- Root rot /aerial blight (or other diseases)
Gradually go over each of the solutions discussed above, starting with the simplest to the most complicated, then take note of how the health of the plant changes with each one. However, these changes are not instant—unless a lack of water is the main problem. With any solution you implement, you need to wait at least a couple of weeks to see if it will bring any changes to the appearance of the plant.
English Ivy Not Droopy nor Leaves Falling but Dead
It is rare for English ivy plants to die without displaying any of the conditions discussed above. If this happens, you need to take a look at the growing environment. Is the potting soil toxic? Did someone crank up the heat indoors for too long? Did you water the plant with chemical-laden water? These are some of the reasons why your plant will die suddenly. When you find out what happened, try to take the lessons on board for when you start growing your new plant.
Final Thoughts
Caring for your English ivy is all about ensuring it gets enough water and nutrients while exposing it to the optimal level of sunlight. However, you need to be careful to avoid overdoing things. As you’ve seen above, too much watering and fertilizer application can do more harm than good.
ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 29, 2020.
Most importantly, pay close attention to any negative changes so you can jump in front of the problem before it gets out of hand.