Creeping Jenny dies mainly due to Southern Blight, a fungal disease. Creeping Jenny may also die due to Stem rot and Rhizoctonia Crown infection. Make sure you’re not overwatering your Creeping Jenny as it can kill the plant.
Creeping Jenny is a ground cover. This plant is also called Moneywort and Twopenny grass.
The plant forms a carpet on the ground with its lush lime-green foliage. Thus, this plant is a nice addition to your garden.
| Symptoms | Reason |
|---|---|
| Brown Beads scattered everywhere on your plant. webby stuff between leaves and stem and the soil. | Southern Blight |
| Leaves turning yellow | Sunburn |
| Creeping Jenny turning brown | Underwatering Botrytis Blight |
| Creeping Jenny wilting | Sunstress |
| loss of leaves, dieback | Sawfly larval damage |
Creeping Jenny Southern Blight
Southern Blight, a fungal disease can kill Creeping Jenny. This fungus attacks the plant when it is weakened by shade, excess moisture, or physical damage.
Southern blight is very common in southern soils. Do you see webby stuff between leaves and stem and the soil?
This webby stuff is called hyphae. Hyphae are like the roots of a fungus. This fungus decomposes the stems of your Creeping Jenny.
You’ll also see tiny brown beads scattered everywhere on your plant. These are called Sclerotia and help the fungus to stay alive during winter.
How to treat Southern Blight
There’s no fungicide that can effectively deal with Southern Blight. The best way is to prevent its growth in the first place.
Do not overwater the creeper. Keep the soil wet if needed but not soggy. Make sure the soil has good drainage properties.
Tip: If the soil is waterlogged, add some gritty sand or PermaTill to the soil.
If the plant is already infected, dispose of the dead creeper. Dig up the soil and bury the fungus and its remnants(Sclerotia).
You may add new soil to the affected area and grow plants again safely.
Creeping Jenny turning yellow
Creeping Jenny leaves dry out and turn yellow if it gets too much direct sunlight. Sun stress causes the leaves to blanch out.
The pale parts of the foliage turn brown eventually. This happens especially in hotter conditions. Sunlight can influence the Creeping Jenny to a great extent. It has a direct impact on the color of the foliage.
The shadier the place, the greener the foliage will be. If you want lime-green leaves try to provide more light to the plant.
It is possible that this particular cultivar grows yellow foliage. Aurea variety of Creeping Jenny has yellow foliage.
Does Creeping Jenny like the sun or shade?
Creeping Jenny can survive in full sun or partial shade.
I planted mine in a place where it gets not-too-bright sunlight. So, I don’t need to worry about sun stress when the climate is hotter.
Why is my Creeping Jenny turning brown?
Creeping Jenny leaves turn brown and crispy when the plant doesn’t get adequate water. Botrytis Blight also causes browning in Creeping Jenny leaves.
Underwatered Creeping Jenny
Creeping Jenny needs a lot of water to thrive. The leaves turn brown and the plant becomes weak if it doesn’t get enough water.
Alter the potting mix if it isn’t holding the water efficiently. This plant can take a good amount of water, in fact, it’s recommended as a pond-side plant.
How often to water Creeping Jenny?
A good rule of thumb is to water the plant when the top inch of the soil is dry. Check the soil with your fingers just to make sure.
Water the plant regularly and never let your flowers dry.
What is eating my Creeping Jenny?
Sawfly larvae feed on the leaves of Creeping Jenny. Sawfly larvae look like caterpillars with their 1-inch-long body. They have grey spots on a white body.
They pretty much feast on leaves and before you act, you’ll only be left with stems.
How to get rid of Sawfly larvae on Creeping Jenny?
They may look like caterpillars but they are not. So, insecticides that work on caterpillars won’t work on these larvae.
Spraying the foliage with Carbaryl or Sevin will control the pests. Do not spray this during the blossom season as it can kill the pollinators like bees.
Other diseases
Creeping Jenny is hardy and doesn’t usually get diseases. Stem rot and Rhizoctonia Crown infection are two other common issues.
To prevent such diseases, you need to keep the garden clean, and devoid of any dead leaves. Pick up infected leaves and cultivate the garden.
Remove the infected plants and replace the soil with fresh soil. Clean the tools thoroughly after you work in the affected areas.
Why is my Creeping Jenny wilting?
Creeping Jenny leaves wilt mainly due to sun stress. Try to keep the plant in the shade in the afternoon hours when the climate is hot.
Creeping jenny is kept for its beautiful leaves. Wilting leaves not only ruin the aesthetics of your garden but weaken the plant.
You may also grow this creeper in partial shade year-round. Cover the plant with a shade net or something similar to avoid wilting.
Frequently Asked Questions
I get a lot of emails and many of them ask the same questions repeatedly. So, I decided to write an FAQ section right here.
Will Creeping Jenny survive winter?
Yes, it will survive well in warmer zones. It may lose a little foliage if it gets too cold.
But in the USDA zone 7(colder areas), it will pretty much disappear.
Does Creeping Jenny attract bees?
Yes, having Creeping Jenny in your garden is a good way to attract bees.
Do you cut back Creeping Jenny?
Creeping Jenny doesn’t require maintenance. You may prune this creeper if you want to limit its horizontal growth.
Dividing this plant also helps to control the spread and increases air circulation.
How to winter over Creeping Jenny?
Trim back the flowers on the Creeper if you see any. Trim off any dead foliage, leaving only green foliage.
Spread the Creeping Jenny over other perennials if they are nearby.
Will Creeping Jenny choke out other plants?
Creeping Jenny will probably choke out weeds in its way. You can control its spread by pruning.
You can choose the cultivar “Aurea”, it’s relatively a well-behaved Creeping Jenny.
Where to plant Creeping Jenny?
It spreads quickly, so space your plants out by 18 inches. If put in the shade, the foliage will be lime green. If put in the sun, the foliage is dark green.
So plant the creeper accordingly.