Hi everyone, I have tried several garden centers but nobody seems to know why I have this problem. Today I was told that it MAY be a fungas because of the black. We live in Langley and moved to this property almost 2 years ago. The yard is fully landscaped with a long row of ivy dividing 2 yards. Problem is after the last winter it started to get really bad, it started last spring a little bit but now it has spread so bad I don't know what to do, I don't want to loose it as it is easy to take care of and is a big part of our landscape. Last year the nursery said to cut back, clean out and miracle grow it and it should come back, (I took them samples), they said it was from a cold wet winter and leaves been left on it. It looked like it was going to come back to life, but never recovered by the end of last summer. I did what they said and this spring it is even worse. I was told to use 20-20-20 and fish fert. I did that a couple days ago, will have to see what happens after a few application in the next couple of months. I am going to try to attach some pics of it...please if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know, or if anyone lives in the area your welcome to come look. No one has ever seen this in ivy. Thank you so much!!!
The pictures are too distant to see properly, close up of the stems, leaves (both dead and dying) would be useful.
Thanks Oscar, thanks so much for your reply. I'm a newbie here but so far enjoy reading and have made some posts as well. I'll try to get some more close ups as soon as it stops monsooning out!
Here are some pictures of the ivy. I have put them in stages of dying. I hope this helps. Doing lot's of reading and it sounds like some sort of fungus. Thanks!
I hope that I don't sound unsympathetic, but when you find out what is killing it please let me know as I have spent the better part of the day trying to get rid of the ivy which, if left unattended would cover our property - house and all. I really would like to get rid of the whole lot of it so ideas how to do this would be very welcome. I try not to use serious chemicals but I am almost at that level. Sorry to not be of help but if you want any plants just let me know because they are only a ferry ride away! Good luck Margaret
Thats ok Margaret, I feel alone in this world of trying to save my ivy. I understand how it can take over as it has for you. I have it very well contained and is very much a big part of the landscaping in our front yard. It has been very easy to maintain. Sunshine Coast? My brother lives in Garden Bay! I'll get him to drop over and take it all out for you and bring it here!
It looks a lot like when I over-potted my first ivy plant, it stayed too wet for too long and the roots wizzled up. Then leaves turned colour and fell off. The stem also turned black is spots due to rot. I would say that the problem is below the ground. How wet is it there usually? My guess is a fungus attack of the roots. How too deal with that I don’t rightly know. If that is the problem then the plant’s growing conditions need to be changed or the problem will reoccur. You live in Langley, perhaps taking a bag of plant bits to Gibbs Nursery and asking them would help? M.
Hi M. Yes I took some samples to Gibbs last spring when it started. They said the leaves probably stayed wet too long over winter etc. They told me to cut back and pull out all the dropped leaves, so I did that and used miracle grow as they suggested. Now this spring it is worse. I took pictures and samples to Cedar Rim on Glover Road here in Langley, they didn't know either, maybe fungus they said. They suggested this forum. As for the problem maybe in the roots....around the better parts, the roots are fine, as you can see the stems are ok on the ones that are just starting to rot, the stem is black on the worst one. The roots or vines are black where the worse leaves are.The ivy has probably been there for many many years, it is about a foot or more deep in some spots... I have not done anything to the nearby lawns or the soil in the ivy. My dog pees on it occasionally, near the edge of it. You could never see the soil it was always covered with the vines. Cedar Rim suggested cutting it all out to the ground which I just may do Easter weekend, then I read about using a copper based fungicide which maybe I will spray on the roots that I will have left coming out of the ground. I did more reading and the American Ivy Society has information that makes me think it is Ivy (Fungus) Leaf Spot. It is so wet and raining every day, so will neeed to do this spraying on a drier day. I am afraid it may spread to other trees and shrubs, so far it's ok and hasn't. Thanks for your suggestion, I will bring that up when I talk to Cedar Rim again or someone...anyone who knows what is wrong or what to do.
Hi again We live north of Sechelt so are not too far away from your brother. Seriously, if you want some ivy just call in when you next come to see your brother. I'll give you the address if you email me. Just a few thoughts. Was looking at the photos again and found it interesting that the area around the tree seems to have been less affected than the rest of the bank. Did the tree remain healthy? Did it drain away excess water? Are there other areas which are healthier? If the plants are on a boundry is it possible that someone may have sprayed the ivy without your knowledge? Margaret
Hi Margaret, I must say first off, you are very lucky to be living in such a beautiful area. Have not been up for a while, sadly. But if I do...will defiantly give you a shout! Thanks! Good observation about the tree, I forgot to mention that part. There are 4 trees that are along that path and 2 light posts, and yes the leaves seem to be healthier around them at this time, but we can see it starting to spread into there slower than the unprotected areas. As for anyone spraying, no that is not an issue, it is right in the middle of the property, on one side there is a lawn, then a driveway, hedges and then an easement. The other side is the lawn (septic field), more gardens and a creek and hedges separating the neighbors property.There would be no way there was any spray on it or any type of leaching. Even so what type of spray would so this? It started over a year ago, you'd think it would have stopped killing it by now. Ivy just does not normally die. This is all a mystery, but from my reading I think it would be ok to cut it all back, clean it all out of dead leaves etc and go a little farther than where it has spread to be sure I get all this "fungus"??? maybe spray with a copper based formula and hope it comes back. Early April they say is a good time to do it. Thanks for your reply. R.
This is what it looked like about 18 months ago. I will take another one like this and send, you'll see how different it is and how it is spreading.
If the stems are also affected, it may well be bacterial leaf spot and stem canker. The lesions begin as light green spots which later turn brown or black. The typical spots appear as circular brown to black spots with a lighter yellow halo. The leaf stalks soon become black and shriveled. I believe it is caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. hederae, but am not sure. Fungal leaf spot diseases, I understand, affects the leaves but generally not the stems. The spots are irregular shaped patches of brown, unlike the more regular circular pattern of bacterial rot. The culprit is Colletotrichum trichellum. Cupric hydroxide is the suggested agent for both forms of leaf spots. Another possibility, given the extremely wet conditions, is Botrytis blight. And the pathogen causing Phytophthora root rot and leaf spot can actually swim acrosss wet surfaces, thus spreading the disease. Whatever the pathogen is, the heavy damage suggest heavy infestation. You likely would be better off to remove all the disease vines and discard them. Otherwise, the problem is likely to perpetuate itself, given the heavy contamination. Botrytis, especially, are heavy spore producers.
Weekend Gardener, and all of you..... Thanks, that was the direction I am heading in with info. I have accumulated. Just not sure really which disease/fungus this is. I notice lots of holes as well where the spots have been. I see no infestation to the naked eye of bugs. I am sure I would see many in close proximity if there were a bug infestation. Well today it's not down pouring so I may just start to cut it all out to the ground, but thinking maybe better to wait till it dries out a bit so the spores do not transfer. I think it is so bad that no spray will fix this. It has not yet affected any of the trees on the landscape, those leaves appear to be unaffected as much, probably due to the fact that it is dryer beneath there and slowing down the spread. I will take this info. to Cedar Rim today and get a spray to help stop the spread for now until I can get it all out. If it dries up today, I'll start. Thanks very much for your reply, will keep you all posted! R.
Here is another suggestion - Why not try other types of ground covers? Whatever is attacking your ivy may not be easily eradicated. A number of native ground covers are actually very nice. Take Mahonia, for example. Well suited for a woodland type area. Tough as nails. Stay below 3 feet. Nice foliage colour. Nice fall colour. Nice yellow flowers. All in all, a more interesting and "featureful" plant then ivy. It is also a better mannered grower too.
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions! I am sorry I have not been back for a while but I had 2 friends pass last Monday and Tuesday. Been a rough week. I pulled out all the bad, the area in now very bald with roots and bits of ivy. I have planted new ivy and hope it will fill in eventually. Looks nasty still. I like the suggestion for the new plant....have to go back and look it up and from who, the last post before this one. I just may try that in another spot....who knows I may already have some, it sounds familiar. The reason I like the ivy is it is well suited for the house and landscape, we live in an English style Tudor home, but I am always available for a change and suggestions. Again, thanks everyone for your input! Your all great!!!
There is also the possibility that your ivy has started to show damage from the serious summer droughts of 02,03, and 04. Visual damage to plants from drought are not always noticed for 1 to 3 years after. Noticing the slopes your ivy is growing on there may have been a shortage of moisture for the ivy, except under the trees [which will draw moisture from deeper] and more shaded areas. Copper as a fungicide is more likely to help control bacterial bights and is best applied in late summer and early fall. One more note, if you have a gardener, make sure he is not applying premergent hebicides to that area to keep weeds down, I don't see any vegitation growing through the bare patches? After years of casoron use and pruning to keep ivy off the lawns, it will have now way of rerooting into the soil, this also sets ivy back. hope all your new ivy does well. Jim
Hello Jimweed...and neighbour in Langley.....that was also a suggestion I was given last year, the summer droughts. We did end up talking to the previous owners recently, they told us they had been having some trouble with it himself as well which I suspected. He said he cut it back and cleaned in the fall of all dead leaves....seems to have helped. The 3 pics I posted are before I pulled all the dead vines and leaves out...it is much more bare now. I planted 6 or more small English Ivy and also pulled some out from another area out back and planted that. I have fertilized and added some good compost and more soil. I also did use the copper fungicide on the advise of the someone at Cedar Rim. So far I see no signs of it getting worse, but also see no signs of new growth. They told me new shoots will come out on the bare vines. I do all the gardening, and have only applied moss killer once on the upper level grass area and have kept far from the plants (there is a path between the grass and ivy. The previous owners left behind a whole skid it seems of various pesticides etc. for everything you can think of. Having a dog, I choose not to use it and go as natural as possible. I was going to apply the copper fungicide once more as per directions, but will hold off on your advice. Thanks very much!!!