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Ivys=spider mites

4 years ago

I on occasion purchased English Ivy's. I like the plants but pretty much every one ends up, or must come with spider mites. I had been using a grape ivy in a planter and ended up killing it off. A few too many times too dry. I hadn't seen any grape ivy's to replace it with. The pot had sat empty waiting to find one before. So, I broke down and purchased some variety of English ivy, it had much larger leaves than the typical strain. Then four weeks went by and discovered it veiled in spider mites. I was not up to a war with mites and end up with them on everything. It has been permanently evicted to the trash can.
Anyone else had the same totally unacceptable problems with these perfectly lovely but usually infected plants. Are there some that you just refuse because they always end up infested and then all your other plants infested?

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Comments (5)

dbarron
4 years ago
English Ivy is much better outside. It's not really a good house plant (imo).

However, spider mites are encouraged by stressed plants (like too dry) and low humidity. Hope that's somewhat helpful.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years ago
English ivy as a houseplant is a spider mite magnet!! Unless you are extremely diligent, it is almost inevitable that they will develop a spider mite infestation. However, if when you water the plant, you can do so at the kitchen sink and spray it down as well, you can keep the mites at bay. They dislike moisture and humidity, so routinely spraying down or showering the plant with water should keep them mite free.
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I think Rhizo hit the nail on the head. This seems to be key info. which is often missing when one starts growing houseplants. To learn one's conditions & then try to match compatible plants w/ those conditions. I'll use my home as example. I live in Brooklyn (suburb of NYC) w/ western exposures, the top of 6 stories & no A/C. It gets very hot & humid here in Summer & there's steam heat in Winter. Over time I've learned what does well here for me are lots of succulents & Hoyas & some houseplants. They can all take the strong heat, the summer humidity & most need to dry somewhat btwn waterings, so missing a watering here & there is rarely a problem. After trying different Orchids over the yrs., I've learned to give up on them here. They need cooler nights than I can offer & often want temperature differences of at least 15 degrees or more btwn day & night. I can't provide those conditions, so after losing a number of Orchids here over the yrs. I no longer try them. Will, thanks for explaining lighting as you did. Wish I'd read that a long time ago, nicely clear & informative.
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Everything but my kids:) We used to bring our impatiens inside for the winter quite well. They were permanent container plants - they don't transplant quite as well at the end of the season. They didn't bloom much, but they would turn into these miniature jungle tree-looking things that my brother would hang his toy action figures in. Usually lived about four years like that, and got huge. I bring my geraniums in every year. Again, not much bloom, but plenty of foliage. Probably would have bloomed but they were on the basement floor, which is cold. Plenty of window light, though. Herbs and peppers come in to the kitchen window, northeast light. Obviously the lemons and avocados come in, and usually some ivy cuttings functioning as decoration while they root to go out in the spring. Ivy (any ivy) gets spider mites badly indoors for me unless I bathe it once a week and mist in between. I also take sedum cuttings in the fall, which sometimes bloom and root simultaneously. Also I am fond of the reverse tactic, that is, putting tropical houseplants outdoors all summer and then bringing them back in. My mom had a Chinese evergreen that got 5 feet high and bore fruit. It had mealybugs its final year, thanks to a move to a much warmer climate, and died, but we saved the baby:) Ditto boston ferns, who also want misting. Cannas CAN come in when you divide them, and they'll keep coming up as long as it's warm and bright enough. Just put one or two to a big pot, though, or they get sulky.
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That looks to me more like mechanical damage rather than an insect problem (insects tend NOT to bother ivy unless spider mites on indoor ivy) and the leaf itself looks pretty good. There are fungal blights than can affect ivy but without more information/better photos of the problem, can't say if that is the issue either.
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Thanks for all the reply's guys. I have moved the ivy's outside. But now I am looking for another plant to go on the shelf shown in the above picture. Anybody got any ideas for suitable plants for the relatively low light shelf. I would prefer easy hard to kill plants, that will grow down under the shelf. I would love to hear your suggestions, Hidde
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Andrea ME z5b
4 years ago
I've had pretty good luck with Algerian Ivy (hedera canariensis), I believe it's less susceptible to spider mites. You can also try Senecio macroglossus, which looks a lot like ivy but is not related.
Sans2014
4 years ago
I second gardengal's advise to spray the plant down, works on Parlor Palms too (which are also plagued by spider mites).
Izzy Mn
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
It would be difficult to spray down plant often. I use a obelisk in a planter indoors that is about 5 ft. tall. So it looks ok when in between plants. I think the plant that I just tossed was what Andrea suggested. I guess I will keep my eyes open for a grape leaf ivy, always had good luck with them, I occasionally forget to water too many times and that usually is what kills them for me. They are just hard to come by and not that many places sell diverse house plants anymore. Maybe have to go with a mail order one and or just resign that I will treat it for mites with a systematic insecticide as soon as I bring one home.

This is the plant I like to use in planter, it climbs up the obelisk really nicely and is a nice alternative to having a tall plant.

http://www.costafarms.com/plants/grape-ivy

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