English ivy

I had planted English Ivy in my yard about 10 yrs ago & it has spread very well. Last year after the winter about 1/2 of it appeared to die and the leaves fell off. During the summer it came back but not nearly 100%. This year about 80% of it seems to be dying off. It is in a very shady area & has always done well. Do you know what may be the cause of my problem ?



Thank you Mike Reiser

Hello Mike, I have grown ivy for more than 30 years both in my own garden and professionally. I also grew it in southeastern Pa for more than 20 years. I would have to start by recommending that you call your local county extension agent and ask about your ivy problem. There might be something unique in your area. The second step would be to have your soil tested in the ivy bed area. These two things will help you find out if there is a specific problem in your area or if your soil has a deficiency.

From your description it sounds as though your ivy was seriously damage during the winter. Not only did you loose much of the foliage but probably many of the roots were damaged too. The following summer the ivy tried hard to recover but I think that the roots had not recovered enough to support the new growth through the following winter.

Once the roots are damaged it allows pests and diseases a chance to set in. It could be as simple as the damaged roots can not survive the freezing weather.

My recommendation is to clean up all the dead leaves and stems and remove them from the ivy bed. Make sure the bed has enough moisture but do not allow it to be soggy wet in the winter. Once the bed is clean, mulch with something like straw or pine needles to give it a little winter protection.

In the spring, remove the winter mulch, clean up the bed again, mulch with a good finely chopped organic material, start feeding the ivy bed a 1/3 strength of a liquid fertilizer to give the plants a boost. Stop fertilizing in early summer.

Make sure the ivy is watered regularly particularly during the growing season. It should never be in soggy soil but do not let it dry too much. Well established and healthy ivy can be very drought tolerant even in hot, dry and sunny areas but when it is trying to recover and get established regular watering is important.

Repeat this for at least two years and your ivy will probably recover nicely.

One more thing I should ask, has the ivy area become much more shady over the past 10 years? Ivy does need good light even if not direct sun. As your landscape has matured, it might be shading out the ivy.

I hope some of this is helpful. I would be happy to talk more about ivy if you would like.

Liliana