We often encounter leaf spot disease outdoors. But even indoor plants are not safe from her. Wherever she goes, she always has one thing in her luggage: ugly stains. The decorative function of a houseplant is thus destroyed. Can we save her beautiful appearance again?
The often deadly leaf spot disease does not stop at houseplants
Visible Symptoms
Leaf spot disease creates one spot after another. These are not just superficial on the leaves. The entire cell structure of the leaves is changed at these points.
- Spots vary in size
- they are usually irregularly shaped
- grow larger over time and connect
- their coloring ranges from yellow to dark brown
- they are outlined in a different colour
- badly affected leaves often fall off
Causes of disease outbreak
Leaf spot is a fungal disease. It can only break out and have serious consequences if the houseplant is already weak. This is precisely why it is important to always care for and set up indoor plants in a way that suits their nature.
If an exotic plant does not find the optimal conditions for it in your home, it is better to do without it. Not only does she not look her best this way, she is also particularly susceptible to illness.
Notice:
The popular yucca palm, rubber tree and camellia all have beautiful foliage. Maybe that's why the fungal pathogen likes to pounce on them.
Fight the disease
Nothing can undo the brown spots on the leaves. But you can try to protect other, still juicy green leaves from it. However, the first step is always to isolate the diseased plant from healthy specimens. And this until the plant has fully recovered. The fungal pathogen can easily migrate back and forth in plants that are close together.
This is another necessary step:
- Cut off and discard diseased leaves
- it may also be necessary to cut off whole branches.
- use clean, sharp tools
- disinfect before and after
Home remedies do not help with this disease. Some of them can only be used as plant strengtheners. You should therefore dispose of all plants where it is foreseeable that they will no longer recover from this disease. You can chemically treat particularly valuable specimens with a broad-spectrum fungicide.
Eliminate maintenance errors
Take this illness as an opportunity to critically review previous care. Eliminate possible care mistakes so that the disease does not return. Since fungal pathogens can get onto the substrate through falling leaves, repotting in fresh soil is advisable. At least the top layer should be replaced promptly.