Large, brightly colored flowers are the adornment of every hydrangea. However, when these are framed by mottled leaves, the sight makes every viewer sad. Not only that! The plant has been conquered by an insidious fungal pathogen and urgently needs our help.

The disease usually affects many leaves

Leaf spot disease: the symptoms

The leaf spot fungi cause visible changes to the leaves of the hydrangea.

  • Foliage turns yellow
  • Leaves are covered with spots of various sizes
  • these are dark colored
  • all spots have a brown center

The disease progresses in such a way that the leaf tissue initially thins out or tears as it continues to grow. Eventually, the affected leaves fall off entirely.

Fight infection with scissors

A frequently recommended measure for fungal infections in plants in private gardens is to cut away the affected parts of the plant. In the case of a hydrangea with leaf spots, it is even the only measure if you do not want to resort to chemicals. Unfortunately, home remedies are not very effective.

  • promptly remove all affected parts
  • do not put on the compost, fungus can survive for a long time
  • Dispose of plant cuttings with residual waste
  • Disinfect cutting tool

tips

Increase your hydrangea's resilience by giving it biological plant strengtheners after pruning.

Keep soil free of fungi

Leaves that have already fallen should not be overlooked during the rescue operation. They are carriers of live fungal spores, which can lead to a new infection of neighboring plants at any time. Leaf spot disease is also frequently observed on cucumbers and camellias, for example.

tips

It is best to wear disposable gloves when collecting or wash your hands thoroughly afterwards so that you do not personally become a carrier of infection.

Heavy infestation

If your hydrangea is suffering from a severe leaf spot infestation, you must remove it from the garden immediately to avoid infecting other plants. If you don't want to give up the hydrangea, you may need to quickly resort to a fungicide.

Prevent leaf spot disease

Leaf spot disease usually occurs when the plant suffers from a lack of nutrients and at the same time there is high humidity. A large part of the preventive measures can be derived from this:

  • fertilize better and as needed
  • Thin out regularly so that the leaves dry well
  • avoid too dense planting
  • only water over roots
  • use disinfected tools when cutting

Category:

Vegetable garden