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arevirlegna

What's wrong with my Variegated Ivy plant?

arevirlegna
9 years ago

I've had this variegated ivy plant for almost 2 months now and about two weeks ago I started noticing small webs on the leaves. I figured it was spider mites so I've been misting the leaves everyday with water mixed with a few drops of soap, I had read that should work in getting rid of them. But I've also noticed some of the leaves quickly darkening in a few days and drying up. I don't know if it's the spider mites lack of water or too much. I thought it was lack so i removed the plant carefully from the pot and notice many roots and dry soil so I moved the soil a bit and sprayed it with water. I just wanted to know if this problem sounded familiar to anyone or if anyone has suggestions on what I can do to fix the issue. This is my first time having a plant. I keep the plant indoors I had a UV filtered lamp on the plant but recently stopped using it thinking it may be part of the issue. Please help me figure out whats wrong with my plant. I also posted a picture to show what I'm talking about, thanks.

Comments (26)

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    You're right to think of mites when you have crispy foliage on ivy. It looks to me like your choice od SOAP is not the right choice. Insecticidal soap is consistent in its formulation (all use potassium salt of fatty acids as the active ingredient) and manufacturers are careful their formulations minimize insecticidal soap's impact on plant material - unlike other soaps and detergents.

    The blotchy look of your leaves is probably due to something topically phytotoxic. Ivy likes it cooler than most houseplants, so if your hand feels warm at the same distance from the light source as your plants, the light is either too close or produces too much heat.

    When you don't know for sure what's wrong, the first thing you should do is examine the basic cultural conditions you provide. You need the right soil, first - followed by the right light, temps, and nutritional supplementation program. If you can get those things right, it's difficult to imagine anything going wrong - other than the singular fact, if you have ivy, you will probably have mites.

    Al

    Here is a link that might be useful: This will help you avoid all the most common problems.

  • arevirlegna
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Do you know how to treat the phytotxicity? I took a picture of the same leaf today. It fell off and it looks far worse since yesterday.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    The leaf in the last post is definitely showing signs of spider mite damage, which is probably the most commonly encountered problem with growing ivy indoors. That speckled appearance is due to stipling or the markings the mites make as they suck the juices out of the plant tissue.

    Spider mites thrive in dry conditions and the low humidity most of us have in our homes is ideal for them. Frequent misting or even rinsing the plant off thoroughly in the kitchen sink or under the shower once a week or so will help a lot. But you have to get rid of the mites first. I like Neem oil for this purpose but there are other home use pesticides available that target mites. Unfortunately, insecticidal soap has a very low effectiveness against mites and homemade soap remedies almost none at all. And heed the other suggestions Al makes for giving your plants the best growing conditions.

    Insecticidal soaps are known for causing phytotoxic reactions that Al refers to with any number of plants and I would assume dish soap products would have a similar effect. Have never investigated the relationship between UV lights, insecticidal soap and phytotoxicity but don't doubt it exists.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    Phytotoxic = poison to plants, so the remedy would be to eliminate the practice that produces the unwanted results. Changing from your soapy spritz to a spritz of 50/50 rubbing alcohol and water would be very effective against mites, as is neem oil, but what type of neem oil you choose has a lot to do with its effectiveness. If you use a neem product, use pure, cold-pressed oil.

    Plants aren't regenerating organisms, in that they don't replace lost or damaged parts in the same spatial planes, like animals do. Your damaged leaves won't recover. Once they become a liability to the plant, the plant will shed them. Your interest should focus on getting your cultural conditions (including the mite infestation) such that when new foliage arrives, it doesn't have to deal with the same adversities the old foliage did. When you get the basics right, everything falls into place.

    Al

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    What would happen if you bagged it for 24 hrs with some mothball chips in a bottlecap?

  • teengardener1888
    9 years ago

    I think it is best to avoid english ivy in the first place, it always seems to get spider mites.......

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    I don't think I would do that to a plant that's struggling. If you want to chase it, you can probably find info more specific than I'll offer. All I remember is that I looked up naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene (one or the other would be the active ingredient in mothballs or flakes) because I suspected they would be phytotoxic, like most heavy aromatics. What I found is that one is phytotoxic to all plants, the other selectively phytotoxic - but I don't remember which was the worst of the two.

    That doesn't mean they will kill plants outright ...... maybe just impact current foliage - who knows? I'm not a fan of "bagging things". I think, with a little attention to issues as they develop and some pre-planning when it's not insects causing the grower fits, bagging can be avoided.

    Al

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    Really? When one isn't having to deal with the menace of nasty critters like spider mites,bagging creates a humidity trap and most plants adore high humidity. Had I not pampered a lot of my collection with tanks,jars,bags...I can assure you that they would not have made it. Most of what I collect is from rain forests so I do what I can to simulate that environment for them. I've kept english ivy under glass before,and it was very happy in the mugginess of it all...of course it was never meant to stay in there though. It was only visiting...actually rooting from cuttings would be most likely but anyway...when I think of the aerial root potential that high humidity offers ficus in particular and think of how many years you've committed to the study of training them,it blows my mind that you don't use it.

    Cmon man...tell me you're pulling my leg! :)

  • teengardener1888
    9 years ago

    ........Is everything OK here? I would agree bagging can be helpful.........................

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    ' I thought it was lack (of water) so I removed the plant carefully from the pot and notice many roots and dry soil so I moved the soil a bit and sprayed it with water.'

    Simply spraying the mix will not fully rehydrate it. The best way would be to stand the plant in a bowl or tray of water and wait until you can see moisture on the surface of the mix. Then drain thoroughly. Subsequent watering needs to be thorough, not just a superficial mist or spray, but only when needed, not by rote.

    For a beginner Hedera helix is not an easy indoor subject. So if this one proves too much trouble you could try something easier for starters.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    ' I thought it was lack (of water) so I removed the plant carefully from the pot and notice many roots and dry soil so I moved the soil a bit and sprayed it with water.'

    Simply spraying the mix will not fully rehydrate it. The best way would be to stand the plant in a bowl or tray of water and wait until you can see moisture on the surface of the mix. Then drain thoroughly. Subsequent watering needs to be thorough, not just a superficial mist or spray, but only when needed, not by rote.

    For a beginner Hedera helix is not an easy indoor subject. So if this one proves too much trouble you could try something easier for starters.

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    Just so you know,Teen,..nothing in that post was meant to be taken as inflammatory,so please don't jump to any conclusions.

    Al takes control of the progress of his plants,and knows many tactics is maintaining that control. A humidity trap is a tool used to achieve certain results...a tool that he says he doesn't use or need. I'm just curious as to why that would be. He will have a reason for this. The answer to a question is usually much more forthcoming when one asks.

    So I did! :)

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    I guess if you want to grow your plants in bags because those you selected need near 100% RH, I have no problem with that. I have no problem with what anyone wants to do, personally. Because you were inquiring about bags in association with something remedial (the moth crystal thing) I answered in the same vein ...... and bags can surely be avoided in those cases. Even in cases where the grower has provided conditions in the rhizosphere that rotted the plants roots off, it could have been avoided with a little planning and by paying attention to what's going on with the plant. If you're not paying attention, plants are little more than decorations until they die.

    Also, when you're talking about cuttings or promoting adventitious (aerial) roots, you're talking another topic, but there are still better ways to achieve those ends than bagging the plant - a discarded aquarium with a fluorescent light and glass/acrylic top you can leave open a crack to allow some air flow. If I wanted to promote aerial roots, I would build a wide corral around the rim of the pot out of thin sheet metal, plastic sheet, or aluminum foil and fill the corral loosely with sphagnum moss and keep it moist. It's an excellent way to initiate aerial roots.

    I don't like bagging because it's often difficult to keep the foliage from contacting the walls of the bag, and the 100& humidity in the bag offers prime conditions for fungi to get a hold. YMMV but that's the view from here.

    BTW - I didn't say that bagging can't be helpful. It can be, but I prefer to avoid anything that calls for a bag as remediation of a problem before it gets to that stage, and use other ways I think are more effective at raising humidity. It's kind of like rooting in water vs rooting in soil. Rooting in water gets the job done, sort of, but it's not ideal for terrestrial plants. Bagging CAN get the job done, but I don't view it as the optimum tool for simply raising humidity.

    Since I have known about bagging plants for approximately as long as I've been growing plants in containers, and have yet to actually put a plant in a bag for any reason, it's probably safe for me to make the observation that I don't really need it.

    Al

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    SWEET!!

    Thanks for answering!

    Knew you'd have good information to offer! :)

  • teengardener1888
    9 years ago

    I have become alittle wary of inflammatory post here on gardenweb, I was just being alittle cautious, and diffuse what I thought was a developing problem. Im really happy to see you posting more asleep..............

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    LOL

    I'm awake for now. :)

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    It really is funny how the reader can so easily misunderstand the writer's intent. I was wary of Asleep's post as well, but since he's always been cordial in threads we've participated in, I figured it had to be me and the way I was reading the o/a tone of the post, so I replied as though there was no underlying agenda - the confirmation of which I was glad for. A lot of misunderstandings result in battles when the reader misreads the writer's intent and responds w/o considering what was said and what was heard (regarding intent) were quite different.

    Just my musings .....

    Al

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    I knew I could count on you not to panic on me Al.

    We've always had respect for one another over the years and I knew you wouldn't take anything I said as an attack of some kind. What I didn't consider was how my post might look to others who might not have known.

    Maybe I am too relaxed/comfortable/negligent in this place...who knows?

    Having a good time though.

    You guys are great! :)

    Anyhoo...

    Back to hedera,right? ;)

  • teengardener1888
    9 years ago

    Going back to Hedera helix, I don't think it makes avery good houseplant, I deeply dislike its tendency to get spider mites, its more of a outdoor plant. I prefer Swedish ivy,Hoyas and other trailiong plants of those sorts.....

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    From what I've been reading it's hardy from zone 9 to nearly zone 4. If it were outside and it was warmer out,I imagine natural predators would clean up the mess,but at this time of year I wonder how available they would be. Maybe the cold would kill them.

    Back at a time when I was living in zone 7,I remember a friend who's house was fast getting covered with the non variegated type. Wonder if variegates need a warmer zone than the all green ones?

    Wonder how well it would do if planted outside in the ground...then again,I've no idea what zone arevirlegna lives in.

  • arevirlegna
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I live in Texas

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    In many parts of the country, especially here on the west coast, English ivy is considered a highly invasive noxious weed and is strongly urged NOT to be planted outdoors unless completely contained. Even the variegated or fancy leaf forms, as they often revert back to the species.

    On the plus side, outdoor ivy is seldom troubled by any pests, even spider mites. Too much humidity. On the down siide, an established planting of English ivy makes a very desirable habitat for rodents......like rats :-(

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    It's listed as invasive in Texas.

    Here is a link that might be useful: English ivy - Texas

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    9 years ago

    Hmmm...Gardengal has a point.

    If it were kept under control(yeah I know,..these things start out with such innocent intentions lol),perhaps it could be an outdoor plant in a terracotta pot buried in the ground.

    What are temps like down there right now?
    I'm guessing it isn't too late to get it in the ground.

    Of course that's assuming you even want to try this. lol

  • RioSeven
    9 years ago

    I think what is annoying is if you google "easy houseplants," a lot of websites will suggest english ivy. Which it really is not. These lists also include African violets...so I guess you cannot trust them.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    There is a LOT of information out there based solely on presupposition, and still more that is simply an echo of what someone heard somewhere. It sounded good, so by way of repetition a new "fact" is born.

    Al

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