Skip to Content

Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow? What to Do About It)?

Sharing is caring!

The English Ivy is a striking house plant used for both exterior and interior decoration. It is an evergreen plant and usually stays healthy all year round. However, if you have recently noticed that the leaves of your Ivy are discoloring, you must be frantically searching for “Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow.”

It can be frustrating to watch one of your beloved plants, raised with extreme care, turn yellow and wilt. So, you can stop your search right now as we have got the answer for – “Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow?” and some tips to save it as well.

Keep reading to know everything about it.

Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow
Fiance’s Devils Ivy she has had for years is starting to go yellow! – via Reddit

Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow – 4 Reasons

The Ivy plant is usually grown in a pot, and it elongates in length with its heart-shaped, lush green leaves. There could be several reasons for your Ivy turning yellow.

From inadequate water to environmental stress, multiple factors can lead to the Ivy leaves losing their lush green color. Most of the time, it is nothing to worry about, and once you fix the cause for the problem, the plant will go back to its normal, healthy shape in no time.

So, let’s get straight to all the reasons that might be causing trouble for your Ivy and answer your question of “Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow.”

1. Inadequate Watering

The most common reason is an inadequate amount of water for your Ivy. You are either overwatering it or underwatering the plant. How do you know which one it is?

If the leaves of Ivy have become a solid yellow, are curling up, and dropping from the plant, you are underwatering it. The leaves are falling off to preserve water.

In case of overwatering, the leaves become a bright yellow with stripes and veins visible, and they would be fast attached to the plant. You can also check the soil for signs of overwatering. As the leaves turn yellow, the soil would still be moist, which is an indication of overwatering.

Some plants might show symptoms of water distress right away, while others might go on just fine for days before finally displaying signs of distress due to inadequate watering.

Ivy’s usually take up some of the water you pour in the pot, and the rest is drained out through draining holes into the saucer. You must have holes at the bottom of the pot, or else the roots of Ivy will soak wet and die.

To ensure the proper amount of water, check the soil with your finger or a meter and only add more water when the soil is dry, at least 25-50% from the top.

2. Too little or Too Much Sunlight

One more reason your ivy plants may be turning yellow is due to an improper amount of sunlight. Just like water, you have to place the Ivy in a place where the sunlight is just right.

In case of lack of sunlight, the lower side of your Ivy’s leaves will start to turn yellow. Also, notice the discoloration on the leaves and parts of plants away from the source of light.

Ivy plants need a medium to little bright direct sunlight or ample, bright indirect light. If you have placed them outside in the direct sun, ensure they are getting bright light and not blinding sunbeams.

Too much light can bleach their light-colored parts and turn the whole plant yellow. So, they should be placed at an angle with the sun and not directly under it.

If you have the ivy plants indoors, place them near a window to get lots of bright sunlight through the glass. Keeping them in low-light corners inside can turn them yellow as well. These plants need more sunlight when they are inside since the sunbeams are coming through indirectly.

Why Is My Ivy Turning Yellow 2
Help! What’s wrong with my partner’s Devil’s Ivy – via Reddit

3. Ivy Plants Have Nutrient Deficiency

As a vine plant with many leaves, you need to make sure there the soil is nutrient-rich for the Ivy to grow unhindered. Nutrient deficiency can cause your ivy leaves to turn yellow. Mostly, there is either a nitrogen deficiency or calcium shortage that is causing the discoloration of the plant.

If the issue is due to nutrient deficiency, the leaves will turn yellow from the top. Lack of nutrients could be due to the soil in the pot.

If your plant has been in that pot for a long time, it will have used and exhausted the nutrients. So, keep changing the soil or the pot occasionally. You can also add a general fertilizer once a month for optimum growth.

4. Pest Attack

Pest attack can cause bacterial or viral infection, which can lead to yellow patches or blotches throughout the plant and de-shaped leaves. These pests include spider mites, scale, mealy bugs, and more. As these pests grow on the plant, the yellow patches become wider.

If the yellowing is due to a pest attack, you will notice webs, silk threads, distorted stems, and stickiness on the plant. The stickiness is usually caused by whiteflies that accumulate on the leaves’ underside.

To deal with this problem, regularly spray the plant with an insecticidal soap solution. Neem oil also has properties to prevent pest attacks on plants. You can put a few drops of that all over the Ivy.

Also, make sure to moisten the leaves with water regularly as mites, and some other pests thrive in dryness or low humidity. So, keeping the leaves moist can prevent an attack from them.


Conclusion

Here is your complete answer to “Why Is my Ivy Turning Yellow.” Ensure to avoid any environmental stress for your plant, like taking them out from a pot that is too cold and then putting them in the soil that is too warm. This drastic change in the environment can cause stress too.

The bottom line is to keep everything in moderation. Too little or too much of anything can cause the plant to turn yellow.

If you have any more tips for taking care of the Ivy, share them with us in the comments and share your thoughts on this article.