This
was actually a question from one of our librarians, who had received a potted
ivy plant which she had been keeping by the library window. The plant was
getting lots of sunlight, but the leaves were turning yellow. We checked The House Plant Encyclopedia by Ingrid Jantra and Ursula Krüger, What’s Wrong with My Houseplant? by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth, and Kristi
Waterworth’s “Ivy Turning Yellow” article on GardeningKnowHow.com to find out
why.
According
to Jantra
and Krüger, ivy leaves may turn pale if they’re getting too much light, but, in
general, yellow leaves are caused by too little light, a nutrient deficiency,
or too much watering. Deardorff and Wadsworth agree. Evidently, it’s difficult
to tell exactly what causes yellow leaves – they’re a symptom of some sort of
problem, anything from fungus, insects, or a bacterial infection to the issues
mentioned above. Waterworth adds that it may be something in the ivy’s environmental
stressing it out. Dry air, high levels of salt in the soil (either from tap
water or overfertilizing), or a draft can all make an ivy’s leaves go yellow.
Our librarian guessed that it may have been a draft, since her ivy sat in a cold window. She has since moved it and is waiting to see if its condition improves.
Our librarian guessed that it may have been a draft, since her ivy sat in a cold window. She has since moved it and is waiting to see if its condition improves.
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