Ixora shows dying signs typically due to improper soil moisture, diseases like root rot, inadequate sunlight, cold injury, or nutrient deficiencies. Check soil drainage and watering habits. Inspect roots for rot and leaves for disease spots.
Ensure Ixora gets 6+ hours of sun. Protect from frost if needed. Fertilize and amend soil as required. With proper site conditions and care, Ixora will regain health. Remove dead growth to rejuvenate plants.
Ixora is a group of 500+ species that are flowering shrubs and trees. Ixora is suitable for US Zones 9 and above.
The Ixora plant is grown for its colorful blossoms that come in tufts. The flowers come in pink and peach colors.
Ixora is an attention-grabbing plant that can be grown indoors. Ixora does run into some problems if one doesn’t care well enough.
Why are my Ixora leaves turning brown?
Ixora leaves turning brown can be caused by dry soil, improper watering habits leading to drought stress, fungal diseases like anthracnose, cold injury, or nutrient deficiencies. Check soil moisture and water regularly.
Inspect for disease and treat if necessary. Protect Ixora from frost damage. Fertilize to provide nutrients if needed. Improve drainage in heavy soil. With proper care, Ixora leaves should regain normal green color. Prune out heavily damaged foliage.
Fungal diseases
Leaf spot diseases can be caused by various fungi in the Ixora plant. Get your Ixora tested if you are unsure whether your plant is infected by fungi.
Fungal leaf spot disease is seen on Ixora which has been watered overhead. Wet leaves harbor various types of fungi.
Stop watering your Ixora from above to prevent a fungal infection. Water your Ixora at the base of the plant.
Fungal leaf spot disease in Ixora is not fatal though. The plant will recover if you care well for it like usual.
Nutrient Deficiency
You’ll see purplish brown spots on the leaves of your Ixora if the plant lacks macro-nutrients such as Potassium and Phosphorus.
Macro-nutrient intake may be inhibited due to various reasons. Low pH is the common reason for this. Low temperature also inhibits the intake of K and P.
This is why the purplish-brown spots are seen mainly in the winter season. You need to amend the soil if you want to fix the issue.
How do I make the soil acidic for Ixora?
Adding coffee grounds, pine straw, cottonseed meal, or sulfur to the soil works wonders to raise the pH. Do this a couple of times in a year.
Alternatively, you can add fertilizer to the soil to increase the soil’s Potassium and Phosphorus levels.
Epsom salt for Ixora
Adding Epsom salt with potash(Epsoma Epsom Plus) to the soil increases the Potassium content in the soil.
Why are my Ixora leaves turning yellow?
Ixora leaves turn yellow typically due to overwatering and soggy soil leading to root rot, nutrient deficiencies in the soil, drought stress from inadequate watering, or pest issues like spider mites.
Check soil drainage and water only when the top inch is dry. Fertilize with a balanced nutrient mix if needed. Inspect for pests and treat them accordingly. With proper moisture, nutrients, and pest management, Ixora leaves should regain their normal green color.
Yellowing in Ixora
Yellowing of the leaves in Ixora is due to a lack of essential nutrients. Ixora thrives in acidic soils with a pH of around 5.
High-pH soils inhibit the absorption of Iron and Manganese by Ixora plants. This lowers the level of Iron and Manganese in Ixora, leading to Chlorosis.
Chlorosis is a condition in which the leaves of the affected plant turn yellow. This is usually observed in new leaves.
You can increase Manganese levels in the soil by growing legumes near your Ixora. Adding Iron chelate helps too.
Adding ‘High-Yield Iron Plus Soil Acidifier’ according to the instructions improves the Iron and Manganese content in the soil.
Aphid infestation in Ixora
Aphids suck the plant sap out of Ixora via the leaves of the plant. Their feeding habits cause yellowing in the foliage of Ixora.
Aphids are tiny insects that are spread from one plant to another by ants. So, you can control aphid infestation if you control ants.
Aphid infestation causes leaf curling and distortion in Ixora plants. Aphids then hide in the curled leaves. Aphid infestation is not that harmful to your Ixora.
It is however a cosmetic problem. You may want to get rid of aphids as soon as possible. Cut off the affected leaves as soon as you see them.
Spraying the affected plants/plant parts with Neem oil helps too. Insecticidal spray works on Ixora too.
Spider Mite infestation in Ixora
Initially, small, yellow spots are seen on the infected Ixora’s leaves. Eventually, the entire leaves of your Ixora plant turn yellow.
Spider mite infestation is not a big deal. You can cut off the affected leaves if the infestation is in the early stages.
Spray Neem oil on the affected parts of the plant to get rid of spider mites. Spraying the affected Ixora with insecticidal spray works well too.
Why is my Ixora not blooming?
Ixora fails to bloom typically due to insufficient sunlight, improper pruning that removes flower buds, over-fertilization, drought stress, low temperatures, or normal aging resulting in fewer flowers.
Assess growing conditions and fix issues like moving to a sunnier area, reducing fertilizer, watering sufficiently, protecting from cold, and pruning older branches. With proper care, Ixora should bloom abundantly again in time.
Soil pH
Soil pH is another factor that influences blooming in Ixora plants. The ideal pH for Ixora is 5 which means Ixora thrives in acidic soil.
If the pH is above this the plant won’t blossom. Get the soil tested and if pH is the reason you might want to amend the soil.
Add coffee grounds, sulfur, cottonseed meal, or pine straw to the soil to make it acidic.
Water
Ixora needs a lot of water in the growing season. Do not let the soil go bone dry in between the watering sessions.
Check the soil with your fingers and water the plant if the soil is dry up to two inches below the surface. Get a moisture meter if possible.
Sunlight
The Ixora plant fails to bloom if it gets too much direct sunlight throughout the day. Ixora needs to be placed in a place where it gets indirect sunlight.
Does Ixora like full sun?
If you can’t move your Ixora shade the plant artificially. Sunlight is essential so make sure your Ixora gets half a day of sunlight.
Ixora also doesn’t bloom when it gets less sunlight than required. Confirm the reason and then you can act accordingly.
Why is my Ixora dropping leaves?
Ixora dropping leaves can be caused by overwatering, underwatering, disease, cold injury, or transplant shock. Check soil moisture and water properly. Inspect for disease and treat if needed. Protect from frost.
Give newly transplanted ixora time to establish. Improve drainage in heavy soil. With good care, Ixora should regrow new leaves. Prune damaged foliage to rejuvenate growth.
This situation arises when the plant is experiencing winter stress. Amateur gardeners panic and overwater the plant in these situations.
Don’t do this. Give the plant some time and it’ll recover fine. Dwarf red can take even the coldest winters, so plant it if you don’t want to run into this issue.
What is eating my Ixora?
Common pests that eat Ixora plants include aphids, mealybugs, scales, and spider mites. Check the undersides of leaves and stems for the presence of insects.
Treat with horticultural oils or insecticidal soaps. Ants may also be present if aphids are an issue. Maintain healthy ixora plants to prevent and reduce pest damage.
Prune away heavily infested foliage. With vigilance and proper treatment, Ixora can recover from pest problems.
Ixora leaves turning black
Ixora leaves turn black due to ‘Sooty Mold’, a fungal infection favored by the presence of Honeydew. Honeydew is secreted by sap-sucking insects like Mealybugs.
Mealybugs are tiny, wax-covered, white-colored insects that suck out plant sap and excrete sticky honeydew. Honeydew attracts several fungi to transform into sooty mold.
Mealybugs are often seen on the leaves in groups. Mealybugs are the common pests of the Ixora plant.
One can get rid of Mealybugs by wiping them with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol. Try to cover all the hard-to-reach places.
You can also spray Orthene on the infested parts of your Ixora. Doing this one or two times with a 10-day gap is suggested.
Root weevil infestation
Root Weevils are insect pests that devour the roots of your Ixora. Larval forms feed on the roots while evolved forms feed on the leaves.
You may want to stick a PVC tape around your Ixora stem. Cover this PVC tape in the sticky insect barrier glue to protect your Ixora from Root weevils.
Beneficial nematodes can be introduced to control weevil infestation. Make sure the soil is wet when introducing nematodes so they can move around easily.
Happy Growing 🙂