Common Problems with Variegated Jacobs Ladder and How to Avoid Them

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Variegated Jacobs Ladder (VJL) is a popular perennial that grows in the Eastern United States and Ontario, Canada. This easy-care flowering plant is an excellent choice for those who want color and texture in their garden without too much effort. However, this low-maintenance variety of Jacobs Ladder carefully tends to come with some common problems.

The most common problem associated with Variegated Jacobs ladders are root rot and leaf spots. Root rot occurs when too much moisture remains in the soil for extended periods of time, causing the roots to become waterlogged, leading to browned leaves along with a foul smell coming from both the base of the plant and its foliage. To avoid root rot, it’s important to treat your VJL with fertilizer every spring while allowing enough space between plants in order to prevent overcrowding and improve air flow throughout the area. Additionally, be sure not to over-water your garden as this can lead to excessive moisture build up around the roots which can cause disease or death of the plant.

Another issue faced by Variegated Jacob’s ladder is leaf spots – small black or dark spots appearing on leaves due to fungal diseases such as Septoria tritici or Phytophthora cactorum. In order to prevent these outbreaks from happening in your VJL plants, be diligent about regularly removing diseased leaves and avoiding overhead sprinkler irrigation which creates more humidity than direct watering would do for your plant’s health. Utilize a fungicide spray as well; however keep in mind that it should only be used for preventative care rather then as a cure once leaf spotting has already begun as doing this will likely be ineffective at restoring any damaged foliage due primarily to mildew spores being further spread during use of chemical treatments on a diseased state versus having proactively prevented such measures from having been taken beforehand instead by stopping fungus at its source early on before it has had sufficient opportunity