Not only care mistakes are responsible for ivy turning brown or even dying. Above all, fungal diseases make things difficult for the climbing plant. But pests also occur more frequently, especially if you care for ivy as indoor plants. Identify and control diseases and pests.

Ivy usually only gets sick with a lack of care

Diseases and pests of ivy

The most common diseases and pests affecting ivy are:

  • leaf spot disease
  • ivy cancer
  • spider mites
  • scale insects

Leaf spot and ivy canker are fungal diseases caused by fungal spores that get onto the plant.

How to recognize fungal diseases on ivy

If brown or yellow leaves appear on the leaves of the ivy, you should pay attention. In this case, it is usually one of the dreaded fungal diseases.

Leaf spot disease becomes noticeable through brown spots, while in fungal canker the initially brown spots turn black and then dry up. The spots fall off, leaving holes in the leaves.

treat fungal infestation

If the ivy is affected by fungal spores, cut off all affected parts of the plant. Avoid watering the plants from above to prevent the spores from spreading further.

All plant remains must be destroyed. Don't throw them in the compost, put them in the trash can. Otherwise, the fungi will spread throughout the garden.

The cleanliness of the garden tools is of crucial importance, especially in the case of fungal diseases. Fungal spores are transmitted by knives and scissors. Therefore, clean all gardening tools carefully before and after use.

Effectively combat ivy pests

Pests become a problem, especially for indoor plants. Therefore, you should watch these plants carefully. If spider mites appear, the leaves of the ivy first turn yellowish and then turn brown. If they are heavily infested, they fall off. You can recognize scale insects by the sticky coating that forms on the leaves. The leaves often turn brown later.

Examine the leaves on the underside. There, the pests can usually be seen with the naked eye.

Cut off heavily infested shoots immediately and dispose of them. Then spray the plant with a solution of dish soap, water, and alcohol to get rid of the remaining pests.

prevent pest infestation

Pests primarily appear when the humidity is too low. Set out bowls of water. Basically, you should never place ivy in the immediate vicinity of radiators in the house so that the air does not become too dry.

Occasional spraying of the leaves also has a preventive effect against pest infestation.

tips

If ivy leaves turn brown, poor care can also be a cause. Make sure the root ball never dries out completely. In any case, avoid waterlogging.

Category:

Indoor plants