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So I got an English Ivy plant from Home Depot in October. It was doing amazing on a small shelf near a bay window in my room, I watered it regularly every few days. Come early December I noticed it started to look yellow and a lot of the leaves were withering, and it was just in general less lush. Finally I noticed it was becoming a real problem and looked closer and saw it had spider mites. I plucked off all the dead leaves and cleaned the soil and shut my windows, removing it from direct air flow, and also sprayed it regularly with a water/isopropyl alcohol/dish soap mixed, and would rub the stems and under-leafs with rubbing alcohol. Eventually the mites left, as much as they ever did, and I just had some really bare vines. I kept tending to it and what do you know, a few weeks later it was full of small, new sprouts. I even got some Schultz plant food recently, 7 drops to a quart, and so it's been getting that, too.
Now it's looking a million times better, but I notice some of the leaves are still yellowing and getting really dry, even though I water it regularly. It's right in the window, could it be getting too much sun? I don't see any spider mite webs or babies and I still occasionally spray it. I've attached pictures below so you can judge for yourself.
Help! I love this plant so much and am too invested in it to let it die. Any tips or tricks to English Ivy? I'm pretty new to the plant world. Any advice would be appreciated.
English ivy looks cute in a container, but can be a beast if planted outside. It can and does kill trees all over the east coast. It is invasive in several states, and I would not advise planting it outside. As far as the houseplant, watering it every couple of days may have been too much.
Spider mites also like dry air, so you may need to give it humidity.
Suggestion:
1. Clean off the plant...It is ivy so it is practically indestructible. If it is small enough, I'd take it out of the pot, shake off all the dirt and wash it. At this point you can cut off any parts of the root that may be rotten.
2. You can leave it out of soil for an hour or so. Meanwhile, prepare a clean new preferrably terracotta pot with a drainage hole. Put in new soil and leave space for the plant.
3. Put the ivy in the pot and press down the soil around it. Adjust the soil and roots so the soil surface ends up about an 1/2 inch below the lip of the pot.
4. Water it in and let the water drain out. I do this in the bathtub, usually. Potting soil is probably going to settle.
5. Now put pebbles in the saucer and put a little water in the saucer, but not enough to cover the pebbles. Put the pot on the saucer and place it where you'd like it to live.
The pebbles in the saucer allow evaporation of water, providing humidity to the plant if the room's too dry. Supposedly this deters spider mites. It also helps if you overwater the plant.
you know I have mine in a big hanging planter I soak it once a week and hang it back up and leave it alone and it does beautiful .I guess I have been really lucky or just have a really green thumb but I dont have a problem with any of my plants ....
You killed an ivy plant? My god, what's your secret? It could be worth millions.
My first thought, too. I wish I had a dollar for the number of times I've been asked how to eradicate it! I didn't think it was possible but then again outdoor plants don't always thrive well in the low light and dry conditions inside of many homes in the winter.
myplantbabies I took a look at two of the pictures and what I see is typical of low light and nutrient deficiency, but I didn't see signs of pests. That doesn't mean they aren't there! My guess is the window you have your plant in is not bright and sunny enough for your plant especially during the days that are already shorter. You may also want to fertilize a bit less often because it may be a salts buildup from too much fertilizer. Ivy needs very little feeding if it is good soil. You watering schedule sound like it may be too much as well unless you have an extremely dry home. Aim for closer to once a week and let the soil dry between watering.
You might be overwatering it. I am a big believer in systemic fertilizer/insecticide, especially for houseplants. I would use some Bayer systemic on it and you will see a big happy healthy plant.
Thank you for all the help. In addition to potentially saving my plant, looks like I now might have a future career in monetizing my ineptitude.
I'm living in an apartment so I'm not at liberty to go plant it outside, but I will definitely cut back on watering so much, as well as fertilizing. I don't know if I mentioned this but I do live in Chicago, so it's been slim pickings for the plants in regards to light lately. I have it in a bay window but perhaps I'll try hanging it, as well, to see if that helps. First I'll try kinkytoes' instruction, what with the pebbles and the humidity.
Thanks again, everybody.
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