Bacterial leaf spot?
Is this bacterial leaf spot on my pothos and how do I fix it #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #PothosPack
8
Best Answer
This is Not scale! You are correct @Megongreg. This is bacterial leaf spot. First, quarantine your plant. You then can treat it with a copper based fungicide. Try not to do this right after watering or when the soul is very damp. It’s important to remove the most damage leaves, then use the treatment. After new growth appears, you may also want to consider transplanting with fresh soil and choose a more textured or porous pot type. Good luck 🍀
@Megongreg Hello 👋 Meg! To me this looks like scale. If it has webbing on or around the plant it’s spider mites.
@Megongreg I am going to say it’s scale. Here are some pics of scale.
You can remove scales by using a cotton swap with alcohol, removing them with your fingernails or with soap. Alcohol should be strong enough to kill the scale insects, but you will still need to remove the dead insects by hand.
You can remove scales by using a cotton swap with alcohol, removing them with your fingernails or with soap. Alcohol should be strong enough to kill the scale insects, but you will still need to remove the dead insects by hand.
@Megongreg here is a solution:
Prune
Pruning infected branches is often the easiest and surest solution if you catch the infestation while it is still light. Inspect the plant thoroughly, as well as any adjacent plants, to ensure you have removed all infested stems. Do not compost infected plant material; it is best to bag it up and throw it in the trash or burn it safely.
Treat With Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol can kill scale insects if the infestations are light. The best approach is to put the rubbing alcohol directly on the scale bugs using a cotton swab. This can be quite laborious in an outdoor garden, however, so you can also fill a garden sprayer or spray bottle with a mix containing one part rubbing alcohol to seven parts water.
Repeat every two to three days until the problem insects are eradicated.
Spray With Horticultural Oil
What is horticultural oil?
Most horticultural oils are some kind of petroleum-based mineral oil although there are some vegetable oils that also fight pests such as cottonseed oil and soybean oil. The oil is usually emulsified to make it easier to spray.
Spraying your plants with horticultural oil is effective in late spring just before the leaves unfurl. Scale insects can overwinter as nymphs or eggs tucked away in tree bark.
Spray your plants at this point using a hose-end sprayer or garden sprayer filled with 2 to 5 ounces of oil per gallon of water. This application will smother the scale before the insects have a chance to form their protective coating.
It's important to treat the entire plant, as scale can be present on stems, the undersides of leaves, and along the base of the plant. The oil coats the scale insects and clogs their breathing pores, suffocating them.
Apply Insecticidal Soap
Insecticidal soaps can be used to kill scale at the larval stage, but they are not very effective once the insects are anchored and feeding under their protective shells. Apply with a spray bottle or garden sprayer until all the leaves are dripping.
A mix of 1 ounce of soap to a gallon of water is generally a good rule, but follow the package directions to be sure.
Several applications will be necessary to catch all the larvae because these soaps don't last long in the elements, but these organic pesticides will not leave a dangerous environmental residue.
Only apply insecticidal soaps to plants that are well hydrated or you can risk damaging them. Additionally, never apply the product when the plants are in direct sun or the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Apply Neem Oil
Neem oil, or any pesticides containing azadirachtin, a key ingredient in neem oil, offer excellent protection against scale, and also will kill the established insects—not just the larva.
Because neem oil won't mix easily with water, you'll want to add a bit of dish detergent to act as an emulsifier. A general guide is to use about 1 to 2 teaspoons of detergent and 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil to a gallon of water. Apply with a garden sprayer.
Neem oil and other treatments containing azadirachtin are regarded as organic pesticides and are not toxic to honey bees and most other beneficial insects. Other plant-based pesticides can also be successful.
Prune
Pruning infected branches is often the easiest and surest solution if you catch the infestation while it is still light. Inspect the plant thoroughly, as well as any adjacent plants, to ensure you have removed all infested stems. Do not compost infected plant material; it is best to bag it up and throw it in the trash or burn it safely.
Treat With Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol can kill scale insects if the infestations are light. The best approach is to put the rubbing alcohol directly on the scale bugs using a cotton swab. This can be quite laborious in an outdoor garden, however, so you can also fill a garden sprayer or spray bottle with a mix containing one part rubbing alcohol to seven parts water.
Repeat every two to three days until the problem insects are eradicated.
Spray With Horticultural Oil
What is horticultural oil?
Most horticultural oils are some kind of petroleum-based mineral oil although there are some vegetable oils that also fight pests such as cottonseed oil and soybean oil. The oil is usually emulsified to make it easier to spray.
Spraying your plants with horticultural oil is effective in late spring just before the leaves unfurl. Scale insects can overwinter as nymphs or eggs tucked away in tree bark.
Spray your plants at this point using a hose-end sprayer or garden sprayer filled with 2 to 5 ounces of oil per gallon of water. This application will smother the scale before the insects have a chance to form their protective coating.
It's important to treat the entire plant, as scale can be present on stems, the undersides of leaves, and along the base of the plant. The oil coats the scale insects and clogs their breathing pores, suffocating them.
Apply Insecticidal Soap
Insecticidal soaps can be used to kill scale at the larval stage, but they are not very effective once the insects are anchored and feeding under their protective shells. Apply with a spray bottle or garden sprayer until all the leaves are dripping.
A mix of 1 ounce of soap to a gallon of water is generally a good rule, but follow the package directions to be sure.
Several applications will be necessary to catch all the larvae because these soaps don't last long in the elements, but these organic pesticides will not leave a dangerous environmental residue.
Only apply insecticidal soaps to plants that are well hydrated or you can risk damaging them. Additionally, never apply the product when the plants are in direct sun or the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Apply Neem Oil
Neem oil, or any pesticides containing azadirachtin, a key ingredient in neem oil, offer excellent protection against scale, and also will kill the established insects—not just the larva.
Because neem oil won't mix easily with water, you'll want to add a bit of dish detergent to act as an emulsifier. A general guide is to use about 1 to 2 teaspoons of detergent and 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil to a gallon of water. Apply with a garden sprayer.
Neem oil and other treatments containing azadirachtin are regarded as organic pesticides and are not toxic to honey bees and most other beneficial insects. Other plant-based pesticides can also be successful.
@Superkma75 thank you be try much for your comment. I sprayed it down with neem oil earlier does that do anything to help?
@Megongreg although neem oil won’t hurt and may slightly slow down the infection, using fungicide is your best bet. You could find it at most garden centers or hardware stores. Or online of course. Bacterial fungus don’t usually kill a plant rapidly but the sooner you treat it the better.