What Is Wrong With My Jacob’s Ladder Plant?

Do the leaves have spots or blotches?

Are the leaves covered with white powder?

Are the tips of the leaves brown and crispy?

Have the leaves been gnawed?

Do the leaves have large, ragged holes in them?

Your plants are suffering from fungal leaf spot. These can come from several fungus diseases, causing spots to occur on foliage. Spots may enlarge rapidly, especially in wet weather. Destroy infected leaves or plants. Spray plants with sulfur to prevent the disease from spreading, especially if the weather is wet. Spray between rains. Prevent problems by thinning plants to provide good air circulation.

White, powdery patches on the leaves are caused by a fungal disease Powdery mildew. Powdery mildew usually appears in damp places. Encourage good air circulation around the affected plants by thining them and any surrounding plants. Water plants from bellow to keep foliage dry. Any affected leaves should be cut off and removed. The appropriate fungicidal spray will protect your plant from further infections.

Too little water can cause the tips of the leaves to turn brown and crispy. While it’s surprisingly drought-tolerant once established, younger plants often experience this problem when underwatered. Stay consistent in your soil moisture.

Cats are attracted to younger plants, as they smell similar to catmint. Putting a wire cloche over your plant should deter them, as can a floating row cover. As your flowers also draw pollinators, a floating row cover is a temporary solution at best.

Large, ragged holes in the leaves are caused by slugs and snails. Slugs and snails feed on the plant leaves usually at night. To control slugs and snails use diatomaceous earth around your plants. You can also handpick them during the night or use shallow dishes filled with beer as a trap.

If there are tunnels in leaves the culprits are leafminers. These tiny fly larvae feed within the leaves in meandering mines that become wider as the larvae grow. Prune off and destroy all infested leaves. Remove debris in fall because it might contain overwintering leafminers. Introducing parasitic wasps is a very effective method of controlling leafminers.