Updated at: 26-08-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Ivy leaf dark spots might be tricky to treat, but don’t worry; sanitation, cleaning, and fungicides can usually assist. A gardener’s life is not complete unless he or she sees indicators that are unusual. Seeing brown spots on ivy leaves can make you nervous, but if you know how to treat them and what causes them, your self-confidence should return.

Grow your ivy within the greenhouse to avoid any potential troubles with your ivy plants. You’ll be able to better avoid and even manage issues this way. If you’d want to grow this plant, which thrives in zones 4 to 9, try replicating its growing circumstances.

Don’t Panic, Read This On How To Treat Brown Spots On Ivy Leaves

Cleanliness and sanitation

Brown patches on ivy leaves can be treated with easy gardening responsibilities, regular cleanliness, and sanitation. In our haste to save time and money, we often ignore simple activities such as removing dead leaves and stems.

How To Treat Brown Spots On Ivy Leaves - Krostrade

But cleaning and sanitation should be an ongoing element of your gardening and greenhouse activities. In addition to protecting your ivy plants from infection, the brown patches can be made more manageable and easier to remove. To inhibit the development of disease, remove any sick leaves or other debris, even if it appears to be harmless, from the area. You can do this every spring before new growth appears.

It doesn’t matter what the cause of the brown spots is, as the article will explain later. During the fall, you can also get rid of any diseased ivy plants you have or cut away any infected branches. Aside from the brown patches, this will also help avoid illness because the plants would be drier.

The spread of organisms that create brown spots on ivy leaves is aided greatly by low air circulation and constantly damp foliage. When it comes to watering your plants, overhead watering and overwatering are two typical culprits. Don’t let water sit on your plants, and if you have to water, do it early in the morning.

Fungicides

One of the possible reasons of brown spots will be discussed later in this article. As a result, fungicides sprayed on the plants should do the trick. Copper fungicides are recommended by the Missouri Botanical Garden for the treatment and prevention of ivy leaf spots.

The dark patches on your ivy leaves could be caused by fungi. In order to be satisfied with the efficacy of fungicides in eliminating brown spots, you must be sure that what you’re dealing with is fungus. In order to tell if you’re dealing with a fungal infection, the brown patches on your leaves should have no red edges, and the plant itself should appear speckled.

The product’s instructions should also be taken into consideration before reapplying. To ensure the safety of both you and the plants, only use fungicides that have been approved for use in the environment. Copper fungicides, on the other hand, are the greatest alternative for eliminating brown spots on ivy leaves since they are effective against both fungal and bacterial infections.

What Are The Brown Spots On My Ivy Leaves?

Bacterial brown spots

Brown stains on ivy leaves can be caused by bacteria or fungus, according to the American Ivy Society. If you look at the two leaf spots closely, you can tell which one belongs to which leaf. It can begin as oily-looking spots that change from light green to dark brown and crack as time goes on with bacterial leaf spots.

In addition to the cankers on the stems that will eventually kill the stems, they feature red or yellow edges. Unfortunately, controlling bacterial brown patches is more difficult. To avoid the spread of the disease, ensure that the foliage is dry and that the surroundings is not too warm and moist.

Fungal brown spots

Rather from being green or yellow, the margins of infected leaves will be brown or tan, and the spots will have their own dots. The spores that propagate the fungus are the dots you’ve seen on the spots, thus it’s important to get rid of the affected plants as soon as possible.

Ivy (Hedera helix)-Bacterial Leaf Spot and Stem Canker | Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks

The Texas Plant Disease guide recommends removing affected leaves and then burning them to get rid of fungal brown patches on plants. After that, you can continue to use fungicide as directed until the spots are gone for good.

Common Leaf Spot Diseases

The following is a list of the most prevalent leaf spot diseases.

Septoria

Round, black-margined septoria dots appear on the leaves. It will appear that the leaf has mold growing on it. Spores will be dispersed by the shriveled and blackened leaves, which will then fall to the ground. 2

Venturia

Early spring sees brown and black patches appear on Venturia’s leaves, causing them to become distorted. Infected shoots turn dark and weaken as a result of the disease. The stems are twisted and twisted until they are unrecognizable. Toxic only in first emerging shoots and leaves It grows more resistant as the spring and summer progress. 3

Small trees can be deformed if new growth dies and the stems bow as a result. A Venturia infection that goes untreated can weaken trees and leave them vulnerable to other organisms’ attack.

Cedar-Apple Rust

Beautiful flowered ornamental trees and shrubs, as well as tasty apple and berry trees, can all be turned into horrific mutants by this horrible fungus.

Shortly after the leaves blossom, rust fungus patches form on the foliage. Under spots or on fruits and twigs in the late summer, brownish thread clusters emerge. 4 Declining trees and shrubs, such as oaks, are infected by the spores attached to threads of thread. Juniper twigs and needles are also a good place to look for it when the weather is moist and warm.

Anthracnose

Fungal diseases known as anthracnose generate dark stains on the leaves of a variety of trees. However, there are more and more types of trees that are resistant to the disease in the nursery sector.

Small spots of beige, brown, or black can indicate the presence of anthracnose. Leaf death can be more irregular on trees like ash and maple, while anthracnose patches on sycamore and oak show up along the veins of the leaf.

What Causes Leaf Spot Diseases?

Developing a treatment strategy is made considerably simpler when the underlying problems are understood. Brown stains on leaves can be caused by a variety of things.

1. Garden trash is accumulated.

2. Plants that are too close together.

Lack of exposure to natural light and fresh air

Tips for Treating and Preventing Leaf Spot Diseases

Hiring an arborist is highly suggested if you have large trees with major leaf spot issues. It is possible, however, to take a number of preventative measures and therapies on your own. 1

  • Use of fungicides and fertilizers. These are preventative procedures that must be taken before the leaves begin to show signs of damage. It’s not necessary unless the tree has lost its leaves for a long period of time. Before fertilizing a tree with leaf spot, check the soil.
  • Moisture. The soil and root zone should be hydrated, but the leaves should not be soaked. When it comes to watering plants and shrubs, a soaker hose is the best option. Adding mulch to the tree each year is a good idea, but don’t pile it up against the trunk like a volcano. There is a risk of root rot, illness, and deterioration as a result of mulch volcanos.
  • Pruning and spacing out. To minimize congestion, plan your plantings according to the size of your tree or shrub when it is fully grown. As a result of pruning, the amount of sunshine and airflow to the interior branches can be increased.
  • The process of removing trash from an area. Remove and dispose of diseased debris, such as falling leaves and branches that have been broken or clipped, as soon as possible. Keep diseased leaf litter out of your compost pile; don’t dispose of it in accordance with local rules.

How to Treat Brown Spots on Pothos Ivy Leaves

In its natural habitat, the Missouri Botanical Garden reports that pothos ivy (Epipremnum aureum), commonly known as golden pothos or devil’s ivy, is an aggressive climber. A leafy cascade is created when vines in a hanging planter fall over the edge. Even though pothos isn’t a typical target of disease, the plant isn’t immune. Symptoms of a fungal infection include brown elevated areas or patches on the leaves. A pothos can be killed by advanced leaf spot, but it can be thwarted from taking root if you treat it as soon as symptoms appear. USDA plant hardiness zones 10–12 are ideal for growing Pothos.

Using your fingernails or a pair of small clippers, remove leaves infected with fungal leaf spot. Do this as soon as possible, according to the University of California Integrated Pest Management (UCIPM).

Wipe the clippers down with rubbing alcohol to sanitize them. After handling an infected pothos plant, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Keep the leaves dry by avoiding water and mist. Avoid splashing water on the plant’s foliage by soaking the soil around the roots. Relocate potted plants that prefer a dry climate and let the soil dry out between waterings.

Pothos plants showing signs of fungal leaf spot should be moved to a separate location of the house, away from other plants. Use the same temperature and light as the original location.

In order to prevent the spread of the fungus that causes fungal leaf spot in indoor pothos plants, Clemson University recommends placing a small fan near the plants.

Improve air circulation in the garden by thinning out dense pothos bushes. The soil line is a good place to cut the stems.

Things You Will Need

  • Clippers
  • Alcoholic swab
  • Small fan

Tip

Pothos aureum is an other scientific name for the same plant.

Leave a gap between pothos and other houseplants to reduce the spread of fungal leaf spot. As a result, fungal growth is reduced and air circulation is improved.

Fertilize your pothos plants every other month by adding 10 drops of liquid plant fertilizer to a quart of water. Strong plants are better able to withstand disease than weaker plants.

How to Prevent Brown Spots on Plant Leaves - Birds and Blooms

Warning

A quarantine period of two to three months is recommended for newly potting pothos plants in order to ensure that they do not transmit the fungal infection.

Pothos plant leaves are toxic and should be avoided at all costs. Keep this plant out of the reach of pets and small children in your home.

Conclusion

Plants like ivy will benefit from the convenience of a greenhouse because of the reduced maintenance requirements. However, even the most diligent gardener may encounter problems, therefore it’s a good idea to know how to cure brown spots on ivy leaves. The greatest ways to treat and even prevent these blemishes include cleanliness, sanitation, and fungicides.

Preventing and slowing their spread will give you time to recover plants and safeguard those that do not yet have them… The distinction between bacterial and fungal brown spots would also be helpful. A copper fungicide should be effective in both cases. Your best defense against these organisms is to maintain good hygiene and good cleaning practices.