Can you help me with my Monstera Mint?
Unfortunately Sol isnโt feeling too hot :( I noticed these intense markings on the undersides only of her leaves. Iโm guessing rust fungus. The thing is, I came home today and sheโs pushing out a new leaf. Almost like sheโs apologizing๐ anyways, does anybody know how I can handle this? Or is she a goner? #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #NewGrowth #PropagationStation #PlantTherapy #GrowLights
Best Answer
@Drebsky Then you will need to treat her with a copper fungicide once a week for 3 weeks.
Captain Jacks Copper Fungicide is easy to find and will do the job.
To prevent in the future
1. No misting
2. Increase airflow with a fan
Wiping won't treat it. It removes only the outside layer it is inside the leaves.
I would trim off the heaviest infected leaves, or at least these two I circled. Keep a close eye on them and be prepared to trim the other ones should you notice it spreading. it can spread when the spores drop.
I would also remove the sphagnum moss from the top of the soil. Damp and still conditions is what causes it to spread easily.
You can also flush the soil with a hydrogen peroxide solution. 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water.
Captain Jacks Copper Fungicide is easy to find and will do the job.
To prevent in the future
1. No misting
2. Increase airflow with a fan
Wiping won't treat it. It removes only the outside layer it is inside the leaves.
I would trim off the heaviest infected leaves, or at least these two I circled. Keep a close eye on them and be prepared to trim the other ones should you notice it spreading. it can spread when the spores drop.
I would also remove the sphagnum moss from the top of the soil. Damp and still conditions is what causes it to spread easily.
You can also flush the soil with a hydrogen peroxide solution. 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water.
If youโre sure this is rust fungus then I would go ahead and cut off any leaves with the markings(hopefully itโs not too many!) and apply a fungicide to ideally stop the spread. This is from a quick google so Iโm not 100% sure this is correct but thatโs what I found! (Edit: I just realized you canโt really โcutโ leaves off of a plant like this can you?)
@Slyvie Hi Sylvie, I appreciate you doing the quick research! Unfortunately like shown in the photo, itโs on every single leaf of the plant. I got this plant shipped to me from a shop on Palmstreet- was not informed about the disease that it most certainly had prior to being in my hands. The shop owner told me itโs shipping damage- which obviously even a non plant owner would know this isnโt shipping damage. When I recieved the plant it was even close to as bad as this. I figured Iโd see if a new leaf came to see if it would be affected.
@Drebsky ohhhh thatโs unfortunate :( yeah thatโs definitely not shipping damage! At this point I would try to get your money back if you could because he definitely gave you a diseased plant. Since itโs over the entire plant itโs probably not salvageable unless it grows a new leaf and that leaf is unaffected. If you havenโt done this already quarantine that plant because rust fungus is airborne and spreads easily! Best of luck with what you decide to do next :)
@Slyvie you can! As long as you leave a node itโll grow back. (If there were just roots and a little stem it would still grow back even) however it looks like you only have a few leaves that may need chopped so just leave some node. Iโm not to educated on identifying rust fungus but if that is what it is, Sylvieโs advice is spot on! Itโs a beautiful plant and I wish you so much luck and good vibes๐ช
@br3nna just read your comment and see now that all leaves are affected, you can if you want quarantine the plant and see if a new leaf comes out with the same spots. If you donโt want to do that, you can cut it all the way back and see if it grows back with it. If I were you, Iโd raise hell on Palmstreet to be honest cause thatโs honestly bad business. Really unfortunate Iโm sorry๐ฅฒ
@slyvie thank you! Yes the plant has been isolated. The new sheath just popped out today- so Iโll see if itโs infected when it unfurls. Thereโs actually 6 leaves- 5 of them are infected. Thereโs biggest leaf is not- and the plant is still growing new growth. So Iโm staying hopeful!
@Drebsky biggest leaf = newest leaf usually so definitely hold out hope! If the one popping out now ends up without spots just cut your losses on the ones that do and give it some fungicide! If you can Iโd maybe think about reporting the seller๐ฅฒ idk what palmstreets policy is on things like that but Iโd hope theyโd find it unacceptable to sell defected product without disclosure๐คจ
@SuperbRaspfern is our resident go-to around pest and disease! I bet she can help!
Hi all, so sorry to hear about receiving bad plant mail. Thatโs so annoying when youโre so excited to get that box open. Iโm sorry if this is a silly suggestion, but any reason why a fungicide application wouldnโt work here (provided you wanted to put in the work)? If you wanted to keep the plant as is, I would chop any badly affected leaves (not sure you have any that bad?), quarantine, and then apply a fungicide every 2 weeks or so until I got a โclean leaf.โ Make sure thereโs good air flow. Alternatively, you could probably chop and prop the good leaf as long as thereโs a node and start over. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
@Jho @MamaLinne Funny running into you two here! ๐
@Jho hi, Iโve only been taking care of plants a couple months. Hence why Iโm here! I donโt know what is on my plant, Iโm guessing. Iโve never even heard of copper fungicide. The plant has 6 leaves- 5 of them including their stems are infected. So I would say itโs pretty bad.
@DreamMachine hello Nadia! Yes, the reason I believe itโs rust fungus is because of the residue it leaves on the towel. I compared it to my research online. The plant is obviously still healthy as a new leaf is coming,stems are firm, and roots are perfect color. I just donโt know what to do to move forward since Iโve never encountered this issue. Are the spots it already created permanent?
@DreamMachine also, I think I read a plant can grow out of it๐คทโโ๏ธ meaning its new leaves can be completely fungus freeโฆ is that true?
@DreamMachine Thank you so much! Iโm so upset that a seller would send a plant in this condition ๐ญ And itโs extra upsetting for a new plant person. I just ordered Captain Jacks, I will have it in the morning !
@Drebsky the current spots will not get better, so yes those spots are permanent, but what the fungicide will do is to stop it from getting worse.
@Drebsky @Slyvie @br3nna being free of fungal and bacterial pathogens is not something that you can guarantee for every plant, unfortunately. Most nurseries and growers can and do treat their plants (and often!) with pest treatments and fungicides, but spores are EVERYWHERE. So what happens when the plant gets shipped or brought to a retail location? Those treatments have stopped. What are on those leaves now? You guessed it, tons of spores. What happens when a plant gets put into a dark box with no airflow? The spores now have the opportunity to take hold. ๐คทโโ๏ธ It is not necessarily the fault of the grower.
@DreamMachine understandable, however when you show a plant on a live stream to be bought- you must disclose everything about that plant. She only ever showed the top of the leaves- hence why I didnโt see the spores. This was an expensive plant, especially for a new plant person. There was 100% a lack of transparency. I noticed the damage in the plant the day that I got it and messaged them right away. They did not say anything about fungus, nor did they offer me any kind of treatment for the plant. The only thing they offered me was a nonsense excuse that this was damage caused by shipping. Which is obviously not the case as I watch the leaves on the plant die. (I already ripped a leaf off). I was then told I can not recieve a refund for the plant. Which I then explained was not fair because since she did not show the bottom of the leaves in the live- I can not just take her word for it. Does that make sense?
@Drebsky if i sold phones for example- i can send a photo of the back of the phone only. The person receives the phone and the front screen is cracked. Did they crack the screen? Did I crack the screen? Did the shipping crack the screen? That woukd scream an automatic refund to me ๐คทโโ๏ธ
@MamaLinne @DreamMachine Thanks for the tag Deb. Nadia @DreamMachine gave you everything you need to know and it is indeed rust fungus.
You gave me flashbacks when you mentioned Palmstreet!!!
I placed an order with them one time and they said they were not going to ship it for 3 months.
I sent an email and said then I want to cancel my order! They said nope we can't do that.
I told them they need to cancel even though they don't want to. Like you, I guess they have fine print. Like anybody reads it when buying a plant, really, come on!
But, I called and told them I will be reporting them to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) if they don't give me a refund.
This seriously PISSED them off and they said. Fine we will refund. But, you are banned for life from making any purchases with Palmstreet for life. I laughed (because I thought it was funny ๐, because why would I want to ever make another purchase with them!). This really fired them up!!! I did indeed get my refund though. They are on my never buy from list. ๐ฉท
You do indeed have a right to be angry about getting a plant in that condition. Any good plant seller would apologize and refund you, I'm sorry that happened.
I would insist on a refund.
You gave me flashbacks when you mentioned Palmstreet!!!
I placed an order with them one time and they said they were not going to ship it for 3 months.
I sent an email and said then I want to cancel my order! They said nope we can't do that.
I told them they need to cancel even though they don't want to. Like you, I guess they have fine print. Like anybody reads it when buying a plant, really, come on!
But, I called and told them I will be reporting them to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) if they don't give me a refund.
This seriously PISSED them off and they said. Fine we will refund. But, you are banned for life from making any purchases with Palmstreet for life. I laughed (because I thought it was funny ๐, because why would I want to ever make another purchase with them!). This really fired them up!!! I did indeed get my refund though. They are on my never buy from list. ๐ฉท
You do indeed have a right to be angry about getting a plant in that condition. Any good plant seller would apologize and refund you, I'm sorry that happened.
I would insist on a refund.
@Drebsky ahh, I see. They already had the rust spots upon arrival? ๐คจ I wasnโt quite sure if they were already there or appeared shortly after.
Yep, I would be upset too and throw a fit about it! Iโll bet a plant that size was not cheap! Maybe you can try Shannonโs tactic if reporting them to the BBB ๐ Hopefully after treatment your monstera will be all good. ๐ฎโ๐จ
@SuperbRaspfern that is hilarious! What a threat they made ๐คฃ
Yep, I would be upset too and throw a fit about it! Iโll bet a plant that size was not cheap! Maybe you can try Shannonโs tactic if reporting them to the BBB ๐ Hopefully after treatment your monstera will be all good. ๐ฎโ๐จ
@SuperbRaspfern that is hilarious! What a threat they made ๐คฃ
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