Cause of and Treatment for Sick Ivy/Honeysuckle? - Ask Extension
This spring/summer, in my side yard, my English Ivy and pink honeysuckle bush have lost almost all of their leaves. This has happened to the honeysuck...
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Cause of and Treatment for Sick Ivy/Honeysuckle? #417232
Asked July 27, 2017, 11:31 AM EDT
This spring/summer, in my side yard, my English Ivy and pink honeysuckle bush have lost almost all of their leaves. This has happened to the honeysuckle in the past years but never to the ivy. The honeysuckle has responded in the past to an anti-fungal spray, but it didn't help much this year. The ivy has brown burned looking spots in the leaves that remain. The honeysuckle got whitish mildewy- looking spots before the leaves fell off. What could be the cause and how might I treat it? I am attaching pictures of both.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
English ivy, especially old beds, commonly get diseases. Here is information about them from our website: http://extension.umd.edu/hgic/bacterial-leaf-spot-and-bacterial-leaf-blight-english-ivy-groundcover Since English ivy is a non-native invasive plant in Maryland, if you need to replant the bed, we'd encourage you to plant something besides English ivy.
Your honeysuckle has powdery mildew. The fungicide is the best approach. Keep in mind that the leaves can already be infected before you see symptoms. So, start spraying a fungicide labeled for this disease just before the time you usually see infection. Or, as soon as ONE leaf is infected, pick it off and spray the rest. These honeysuckles do not tolerate much shade. Give it plenty of sun and good air circulation.
ECN
Your honeysuckle has powdery mildew. The fungicide is the best approach. Keep in mind that the leaves can already be infected before you see symptoms. So, start spraying a fungicide labeled for this disease just before the time you usually see infection. Or, as soon as ONE leaf is infected, pick it off and spray the rest. These honeysuckles do not tolerate much shade. Give it plenty of sun and good air circulation.
ECN
