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Why Is My Potted Creeping Jenny Turning Brown? | 3 Crushing Reasons!

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Creeping Jenny is one of the easiest plants to grow in your garden.

It produces small, yellow flowers, which add a scenic view to your backyard. With round, coin-shaped, green leaves contrasting with these pretty yellow flowers, the Creeping Jenny makes for an eye-catching ornamental plant addition to any garden.

The Creeping Jenny plant, also known as Moneyworts, Creeping Charlie, and Twopenny Grass, is a perennial plant that can survive for years. It grows extremely fast and spreads to take over the surrounding space.

That is why people plant it in pots to contain it in limited space.

While it can thrive on little care and maintenance, the Creeping Jenny may sometimes face issues like the plant turning brown. It can leave you wondering, why is my potted Creeping Jenny turning brown?

If your beautiful Creeping Jenny shows signs of stress and turns brown, don’t worry because this article is going to help you with that.

So, dive right in!

Creeping Jenny with brown leaves—why is my potted Creeping Jenny turning brown
Why is my potted Creeping Jenny turning brown? – Image via Reddit.

Why Is My Potted Creeping Jenny Turning Brown?

After seeing your precious Creeping Jenny change its lovely green color into brown, you must be asking yourself, why is my potted Creeping Jenny turning brown?

There could be several reasons for your plant changing colors to brown.

Most of the time, it shows environmental stress like lack of water, excess water, too much sunlight, etc. These factors can usually be rectified by providing the plant with suitable growing conditions. Sometimes, the brown color could appear due to a fungal disease.

In that case, the plant usually needs to be thrown out as there is little to no solution for reviving the plant from a fungal disease that has spread.

Let’s find out why your Creeping Jenny is turning brown!

1. Improper Watering

Creeping Jenny needs plenty of water to survive the sunny days.

So, one of the most common issues that cause the plant to turn brown is inadequate water.

In fact, it can go both ways: you may end up giving the plant too much water or not enough water.

  • Underwatering the Creeping Jenny causes the leaves of the plant to turn crisp brown and dry.
  • You can tell that it is an issue of underwatering by checking the soil by feeling the moisture.
  • If the soil feels bone dry, add plenty of water daily.
  • It does well in deep and regular watering sessions, especially during the heat.

To spot a case of overwatering, check the structure of the leaves.

  • If they are limp and brown, it is due to overwatering.
  • Overwatering causes the soil to get blocked, leading to waterlogging and root rot. Consequently, the roots get suffocated and are unable to absorb nutrients and oxygen.
  • To see if the soil is overwatered, you can put your finger about two inches deep into the soil or use a moisture meter.
  • If the soil is damp in the top inches, this could be due to adding excess water.

That was all about watering.

Now, let’s see if the reason for your Creeping Jenny turning brown is a disease.

2. Fungal Attacks and Diseases

A few distinct types of fungal diseases and pest attacks can invade this plant.

If a fungal disease infects the Creeping Jenny and spreads, you will have to discard the whole batch as there is no solution beyond that point.

Southern Blight

Southern blight is a common fungal disease that attacks and destroys the roots of this plant. That is why you will notice that the yellowing and the browning mainly occur on the lower leaves.

Once this disease has taken over, there is not much you can do to revive the plant, as there are currently no fungicides available to deal with southern blight. If you see signs of this fungal disease, you must dig out the whole plant and burn it.

Don’t mix it in your compost or mulch, as the disease can easily tarnish the rest of your vegetation.

Botrytis Blight

Botrytis blight is also known as gray mold, as it causes gray/silver spots on the destroyed plant leaves and tissues.

Botrytis blight attacks the Creeping Jenny during the rainy season when the temperature reaches about 50–60°F. Besides the gray spurs, this disease turns the leaves of the plant brown.

The good news is that there is a solution to this issue!

You can use a copper fungicide to tackle botrytis blight.

Phyllosticta Leaf Spot

Phyllosticta Leaf Spot is caused by a fungus known as Phyllosticta minima.

It leads to brown spots or turns the entire leaf into a brown shade!

It is one of the least-threatening fungal diseases and can be treated with a liquid copper fungicide.

Moreover, you should avoid adding water to the plant through sprinklers or showers, as they can dampen the leaves and cause fungal diseases.

It is recommended to water the plant at the base.

3. Not the Right Amount of Sunlight

Creeping Jenny needs just the right amount of sunlight.

The plant will change colors if there is too much or too little sunlight.

Ideally, the Creeping Jenny needs partial sunlight—not too much and not too little. You should know that warm temperatures are more suitable for growing these plants, so they tilt more toward bright sunlight.

If your plant is kept inside a room or in full shade, you will see the leaves turning brown due to lack of sunlight.

On the other hand, if you have kept the plant under direct sunlight, it could burn the leaves and turn them red or brown.

Related article: How to Propagate Creeping Jenny Using 3 Different Methods

If you have a potted plant, it is easy to shift places when necessary, but this might not be as simple when you have the plant sown into the ground. Move the plant’s location to bring it in warm, fresh sunlight and a little shade.

With that said, you’ve reached the end of the article.

Why is my potted Creeping Jenny turning brown? | How to Grow Creeping Jenny – YouTube

Conclusion

I hope you now have the answer to why is my potted Creeping Jenny turning brown.

There could be a few different environmental stressors causing the browning of the plant. Most of the time, they can be dealt with without much hassle as they are nothing serious. The best way to keep a plant healthy is to ensure the proper conditions required by your plant.

If you have some experiences to share with us, please let us know in the comments below.

Regards!