English Ivy Diseases
- English Ivy produces dark green, waxy leaves.ivy image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
The English Ivy is a popular evergreen vine commonly used in landscaping design throughout the United States. A hardy plant, English Ivy can survive cold weather, extreme heat and otherwise inhospitable soils. However, according to Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities, certain diseases are known to specifically target and plague the plant. - Edema is a condition caused when the foliage of the plant retains excess water. Primarily occurring in the spring time, edema is often caused by over-watering in a greenhouse or by heavy rain outdoors. The leaves of the ivy will develop small water filled blisters on the undersides of the leaves in the early stages. In later stages, the blisters will callus over and form hard, brown lumps on the leaves. No chemical treatments are available for edema; it is best treated with proper ventilation of the plant.
- Bacterial leaf spot is a common disease of the ivy plant, characterized by water-logged brown spots forming on the leaves. The spots are caused when the bacteria begins to kill the leaves, leaving behind necrotic material. The bacteria spreads from one plant to another by water splashing off infected leaves onto healthy ones. White vinegar has been proven to kill the fungus, along with chemical pesticides such as cupric hydroxide.
- Fusarium root rot is a fungus transferred through potting soil which rots the ivy's roots and kills the plant. Root rot does not provide any signs of infection before the condition has eaten away at the roots and caused the plant to wilt and die. After the plant dies, the stems will become covered in a white dust, which is actually millions of fungal spores growing on the plant. Wind, water and soil can all transfer the condition from one plant to another. Common pesticides will help treat the condition; however, the only sure way to be rid of the fungus is to discard all infected soil and containers.
