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Garden Clinic Container Gardening

English ivy in critical condition

2 years ago

I tried to find the best place to post this! This is my moms she’s in the hospital right now. Buddy got overwatered bc i left them in the rain, i was letting them dry out and ants started a war against my english ivy!! I sprayed with a neem oil/insecticidal soap and water mix and this morning they look worse and the ants persist! I’ve already removed a lot of dead/dying branches and foliage, i’m scared to continue. Are they dead?? Is there anything i can do? Second pic is what they looked like two weeks ago, the smaller pot is thriving and is separate now!

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Comments (3)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years ago
Well, they’re clearly not dead. And I doubt that they could be overwatered from rain alone. In fact, if anything, the mix in the top picture looks quite dry. I would give them a thorough soaking and if it rains again I’d make sure the plants were out in it. Ants will not harm ivy directly but if they nest in the pot they might cause roots to dry out by their tunnelling.
Cheryl Tucker thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
Cheryl Tucker
Original Author
2 years ago
This time of year there's so many ants out and about and I saw them all along the branches and leaves, they must like the sap.. it really scared me! I'm a beginner and still have a lot to learn. I thought they were overwatered because the entire plant started to yellow, but its sister pot looked normal and green. It's been a few days though, and hopefully it will benefit from the pruning.. I'm gonna soak it now, thank you for your input!!
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years ago
Ants don’t eat sap. They may be attracted by aphids if there are any on your plants.

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