Low humidity
Crispy brown edges with normal soil are the most common ivy complaint, and dry indoor air is almost always the cause.
Diagnosis
Low humidity
What's happening
English Ivy is a temperate woodland plant that resents the bone-dry air of a heated or air-conditioned room. The thin leaf margins lose water faster than the roots can replace it, so the edges and tips brown, curl, and go papery while the center of the leaf stays green.
How to fix it
Raise the humidity around the plant: group it with other plants, set the pot on a tray of pebbles and water, or run a small humidifier nearby — and pull it away from heating vents, radiators, and drafty doors. Trim the worst of the browned edges with clean scissors, following the leaf's natural shape, so the plant looks tidy while fresh growth comes in. Ivy bounces back quickly once the air around it is less parched.
What fixes it
- A small room humidifier — A small humidifier near the plant keeps ivy's thin leaf edges from crisping, especially in dry winter air.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full English Ivy care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this