Most Common Indoor Plant Diseases
Now that we’ve covered some general house plant care tips and pests, it’s time to go over some of the different types of plant diseases that can cause issues with our plants. General plant health and care go a long way in keeping plants from becoming infected, but despite our best efforts, they still pop up occasionally. We will go into identifying some of the most common diseases that houseplants can end up with.
Root Rot
Root rot can happen in two ways. One from overwatering, and the other from fungus. When you overwater a plant, its roots can suffocate and die back, which can spread to other healthy roots as they start to decay. That’s why it’s best to make sure your plant pot has proper drainage and water to that plant's specifications. Unfortunately, sometimes even if corrected, you may not be able to save the plant, or the majority of it if it is able to be separated. If it is a fungus, it can lie dormant in the plant soil until the plant is overwatered. The signs of root rot are droopy or yellowing leaves, and the roots will be black and mushy. To treat root rot, the sooner the better once identified. Remove the plant from its pot and remove as much soil away from the roots as possible, running under water if needed. Use clean shears or scissors and cut back all dead roots. If a significant amount of the root system is affected, you may need to remove some of the leave of the plant to give it the best chance of survival by focusing more energy on regrowing the roots. Once this is done, you can repot the plant in new clean soil.
Sooty Mold
Sooty mold looks exactly like it sounds, it looks like your plant is covered in black soot, all over the leaves, stems, and flowers and is caused by pest infestations. It’s a type of fungi that grows on the honeydew or secretions that pests like aphids and scale bugs produce. All it takes is a sooty mold spore to land on the secretions to start growing on your plant. To treat sooty mold, you have to first figure out which pest has infested your plant and treat the plant based on which bug it is. Last month we went over common plant pests and the different remedies to remove the pests from plants. If it is something like scale bug, you will need to use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swap and apply it directly to the bug. After the pest has been dealt with, you can easily wash sooty mold off the plant, and if needed, replace the top layer of the soil.
Leaf Spot
If your plant starts showing brownish-black spots, it could be a sign of a fungal infection. Leaf spot is most commonly caused by overwatering and poor air circulation. These conditions are a perfect way to attract fungal spores that are in the air that find warm, wet plant leaves to land on. Once they get on the plant, sporulation will happen and the fungus will start to spread to other leaves on the plant. To avoid leaf spot, try watering only the soil and not the plant foliage, and make sure to space your plants to encourage air circulation. To remove leaf spot from an infected plant, isolate the plant so the fungus does not spread to other plants around it. Remove any leaves with spots and use an organic treatment that contains sulfur or copper. Another option is a homemade solution of ½ a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in 4 liters of water and sprayed onto the plant.
Since house plants are living, breathing things, they have to be taken care of properly the make sure they have a long healthy life. Always make sure to do your research when choosing new plants for your home, for how much or little water they need, how often they should be fertilized, and how much or little sunlight they prefer. By keeping your houseplant healthy, you can hopefully avoid any of the plant diseases or pests that we have gone over in this and last month's blogs. Keep in mind that sometimes these diseases can be on a new plant you bring home, so be sure to look over the plant you are buying and if possible, keep separate from other house plants for the first little while to make sure there are no diseases or pests that become visible after purchase, as some pests and fungi can lie dormant until the right conditions cause them to flourish.