Brown spots - Ask Extension
Every year for the past three years my turtle head plants, yellow wax bells and sun king auralius(sp?) get brown spots on the leaves towards the end o...
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Brown spots #870100
Asked May 25, 2024, 7:54 PM EDT
Every year for the past three years my turtle head plants, yellow wax bells and sun king auralius(sp?) get brown spots on the leaves towards the end of summer just when they are about to bloom. It makes the plants look ugly and I have several groupings of these in my back yard. What is it? Can I stop it by spraying something on them now?
Ramsey County Minnesota
Expert Response
Now is the best time to be thinking about leaf spots. I wish more questioners would do so.
This is probably a bacterial leaf spot disease. Without some lab work it would be hard to identify just which bacteria is at work here.
Nevertheless, control methods are the same:
Remove the affected leaves, avoid overhead watering, thin the plants to increase air circulation, and maintain good sanitation under the plants by removing leaf litter and other debris. Here is a link that talks about leaf spot diseases on many plants:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/houseplants/bacterial-leaf-diseases-of-foliage-plant...
This is probably a bacterial leaf spot disease. Without some lab work it would be hard to identify just which bacteria is at work here.
Nevertheless, control methods are the same:
Remove the affected leaves, avoid overhead watering, thin the plants to increase air circulation, and maintain good sanitation under the plants by removing leaf litter and other debris. Here is a link that talks about leaf spot diseases on many plants:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/houseplants/bacterial-leaf-diseases-of-foliage-plant...
