All sorts of dangers for our plants lurk in the garden. One of the most common diseases is sooty mold, which is an infection caused by various fungal pathogens. Read how to get rid of the disease quickly.
Sooty mold feeds on the secretions of pests
Table of Contents
Show all- the essentials in brief
- What is sooty mold?
- Combat sooty mold successfully
- Sooty mold is a fungal disease.
- This always occurs as a result of a pest infestation.
- The sac fungi that cause sooty mold feed on honeydew, the sweet excretions of plant pests.
- The fungal disease itself does not have to be combated, but the triggering pest infestation does.
- Isolate the affected/diseased plant from the others (if possible).
- Cut off heavily infested parts of the plant with sharp and clean scissors.
- Fight the pests with suitable home remedies.
- For this purpose, home-made sprays based on soapy water or vegetable broth (e.g. horsetail, tansy) are suitable.
- Wipe the black fungus coating off the leaves with a damp, soft cloth.
- If necessary, repeat the treatment.
the essentials in brief
What is sooty mold?
Sooty mold is a plant disease caused by various species of ascomycota, which always occurs in connection with a pest infestation. The sooty mold fungi feed on the sweet, sticky excretions, the so-called honeydew, of aphids, scale insects, mealybugs and other pests. The pathogen does not attack the leaves of the affected plant directly - after all, it does not feed on them but on honeydew - however, the black coating impairs photosynthesis. In addition, fungi and plaque clog the leaf pores of the plant.
tips
The disease often occurs on indoor plants, which are weakened, especially in winter, and are therefore at risk of pest infestation.
Is blackspot the same as blackspot?
Blackspot occurs more frequently in damp weather
Blackspot is also a plant disease caused by sac fungi, which, however, mainly occurs on outdoor garden plants. This disease, which you can recognize by the irregularly black-spotted and later yellowing and massively falling leaves, occurs primarily in damp weather. Plants whose leaves cannot dry properly after watering or rain are particularly at risk. In contrast to sooty mold, however, the black mold fungus does not feed on honeydew, which is why the infection occurs independently of a pest infestation.
Distinguish between sooty mold and star sooty mold
With the help of the information in the following table, you can more easily distinguish the diseases from one another.
| sooty mold | blackspot | |
|---|---|---|
| pathogen | different mushrooms | Diplocarpon rosae |
| synonyms | blackness sickness | black spot disease |
| Particularly endangered plants | no specific plants (since these fungi feed on honeydew rather than plants) appear in the wake of honeydew-producing pests | especially roses, oleanders and laurels, but also other plants |
| damage picture | sticky deposits on the leaves, covered with a blackish, wipeable layer | black-brown, round spots that initially spread out in a star shape, leaves turn yellow and fall off |
| root cause | Pest infestation, mainly by aphids and other plant lice | Fungal spores that spread to the leaves mainly through rain or irrigation water |
Combat sooty mold successfully
The faster you act, the better the chances of recovery
To successfully combat sooty mold, you must first get rid of the pests. The use of insecticides or fungicides is - in contrast to blackspot - not necessary here, since the fungus dies without available honeydew. And so it goes:
tips
In contrast to blackspot, blackspot is far more stubborn and difficult to combat. Prevent infection by regularly tipping endangered plants with horsetail tea and watering them with nettle manure.