Red/Brown spots on my snake plant
Hi everyone, any thoughts on what might be happening with these red/brown spots on my #SnakePlant ?
5
@Heather88 Welcome to Greg!
Excessive Sunlight and Heat
Snake plants can grow in low sunlight. If you place them in direct sunlight, your plant wouldn't survive. Receiving direct sunlight would damage the chlorophyll and cause brown spots to appear on the leaves. If you are not careful, the leaves would sometimes burn.
Excessive Sunlight and Heat
Snake plants can grow in low sunlight. If you place them in direct sunlight, your plant wouldn't survive. Receiving direct sunlight would damage the chlorophyll and cause brown spots to appear on the leaves. If you are not careful, the leaves would sometimes burn.
@Vjunc thanks! Any fungicides you recommend for indoor plants?
And I believe it’s a Moonshine. I got her a couple of years ago from The Sill 😊
And I believe it’s a Moonshine. I got her a couple of years ago from The Sill 😊
@Heather88 I’m just seeing this! she’s gorgeous 😍
Bonide 775 Copper Fungicide Rtu Natural 1 Qt https://a.co/d/9GhONXh this is the one I use and have had no issues so far. I get it at my local nursery.
Bonide 775 Copper Fungicide Rtu Natural 1 Qt https://a.co/d/9GhONXh this is the one I use and have had no issues so far. I get it at my local nursery.
Those markings appear consistent with a fungal pathogen that looks like “brown spot.,” Generally, fungal pathogens arise when there is excess moisture and. Or enough circulation. Snake plants are succulents and originate from more arid conditions. So if there excess moisture going on, perhaps your soil is not suitable, or you may be watering too much, or not providing circulation. If you are getting fungus on this plant, and you do not believe that conditions are particularly wet or moist, keep an eye on your other plants. This guy may have have contracted the pathogen from another plant. Time is of the essence with fungal pathogens; I believe it would be prudent to treat the plant for fungus as soon as you can.
Fungal infections are a very common disease on houseplants and occurs when the pathogen, which can be bacterial or fungal nature comes in contact with a houseplant. Houseplants are vulnerable to a number of fungal infections such infections occur usually in conditions of excess moisture, wherein the spores attach themselves to wet areas of the plant and infiltrate the plant tissue.
The treatment plan consists of altering the cultural conditions and ensuring proper watering technique, so as to help stem the spread of the disease, and then the application of a fungicide. Some fungicides have better efficacy with certain pathogens than others.
Many fungal pathogens are actually soil borne, so it is prudent to treat the soil and the roots as part of the plan. A popular option is neem oil. However, I will also mention a couple of others, any fungicide, including neem oil, can have limited efficacy on certain fungal pathogens.
To treat a fungal infection: sterilize sharp scissors with rubbing alcohol and cut off any infected leaves. Sterilizing the scissors safeguards against spreading the disease to other houseplants.
Next, prepare a neem oil solution to be sprayed on the leaves and fed into the soil. Use only enough of the solution to saturate the soil until it runs out the drainage hole. Use a saucer to collect any excess solution that drained and after ten minutes remove the plant from the saucer.
Neem oil is an old-fashioned, yet highy effective, naturally occurring anti-fungal extract from a plant. Mix one tablespoon of cold-pressed neem oil, one teaspoon of castle soap, and one quart of warm water together. Since neem oil is an oil, it does not mix well with water; using warm water and castle soap aid in allowing the oil to mix into the solution. Castille soap is made using a very traditional old-fashioned method; it is potent, yet without unnecessary byproducts. Castille soap also has anti-fungal properties. Note: the active ingredient of neem oil degrades in water until it is ineffective after 8 hours in water. Repeat application to soil every three weeks (active ingredient is ineffective in soil after three weeks).
I have read somewhere that neem oil, as least topically, is not that effective on certain fungal pathogens like leaf spot or brown spot. Hence, for the topical application, you can add some baking soda to the solution before you spray the plant with it. One teaspoon per quart of water. Spray the leaves, underneath as well, and the stems and allow it to dry. Spray the leaves no less than once a week.
Spraying neem oil on the leaves kills fungal spores on the outside of the plant (baking soda enhanced solution, even more so). Feeding neem oil to the plant through the soil allows the plant to have systemic resistance to the fungus that may be infiltrating the inside of the plant.
A note of caution: some plants might not react well to baking soda and repeat applications of baking soda can negatively impact the soil. I think covering the soil with a waterproof barrier during any applications would be prudent.
Given the once source I read that said that neem oil may have limited efficacy for certain kinds of fungus, I have been experimenting with bio-active solutions, including one made by Arber that used fungal-eating bacteria. It is added to water and fed into the soil, and sprayed on the plants. It appears to be effective; however. I haven’t been using it long enough to have enough to say for certain. It’s expensive. A cheaper alternative is Bionide Revitalize. It uses an active ingredient of a natural strain of the bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which is a common fungicide. Use per the directions on the label. Lastly, depending on how much expense and effort you deem warranted , I think having a sulphur or copper based fungicide spray on hand is prudent in the event the specific pathogen you have is resistant to neem oil.
Treating fungus can require several applications. Be sure to quarantine the plant, as the pathogen is contagious. And increase ventilation—a small fan can ideal for this. Keep plants in well ventilated areas and do not let too many plants get too close together because that can create ideal conditions for a fungal outbreak. Wipe away an unnecessary moisture when you water and consider using pebbles as a top dressing to reduce exposure between the soil and the leaves. Ensure proper lighting.
A paper watering technique safeguards against leaf and brown spot and many potential pests and diseases. Preventing fungal infections through sound cultural practices (ensuring proper light, water, etc) is much easier than treating it. When watering, I find that using a watering can with a long narrow spout allows one to have more control and precision. Position the spout underneath leaves and move in a slow methodical fashion so the water can saturate the soil as it moves to the bottom the pot. Be sure to keep the leaves dry. Once water starts coming out of the drainage hole , stop watering.
Hope this helps !
Fungal infections are a very common disease on houseplants and occurs when the pathogen, which can be bacterial or fungal nature comes in contact with a houseplant. Houseplants are vulnerable to a number of fungal infections such infections occur usually in conditions of excess moisture, wherein the spores attach themselves to wet areas of the plant and infiltrate the plant tissue.
The treatment plan consists of altering the cultural conditions and ensuring proper watering technique, so as to help stem the spread of the disease, and then the application of a fungicide. Some fungicides have better efficacy with certain pathogens than others.
Many fungal pathogens are actually soil borne, so it is prudent to treat the soil and the roots as part of the plan. A popular option is neem oil. However, I will also mention a couple of others, any fungicide, including neem oil, can have limited efficacy on certain fungal pathogens.
To treat a fungal infection: sterilize sharp scissors with rubbing alcohol and cut off any infected leaves. Sterilizing the scissors safeguards against spreading the disease to other houseplants.
Next, prepare a neem oil solution to be sprayed on the leaves and fed into the soil. Use only enough of the solution to saturate the soil until it runs out the drainage hole. Use a saucer to collect any excess solution that drained and after ten minutes remove the plant from the saucer.
Neem oil is an old-fashioned, yet highy effective, naturally occurring anti-fungal extract from a plant. Mix one tablespoon of cold-pressed neem oil, one teaspoon of castle soap, and one quart of warm water together. Since neem oil is an oil, it does not mix well with water; using warm water and castle soap aid in allowing the oil to mix into the solution. Castille soap is made using a very traditional old-fashioned method; it is potent, yet without unnecessary byproducts. Castille soap also has anti-fungal properties. Note: the active ingredient of neem oil degrades in water until it is ineffective after 8 hours in water. Repeat application to soil every three weeks (active ingredient is ineffective in soil after three weeks).
I have read somewhere that neem oil, as least topically, is not that effective on certain fungal pathogens like leaf spot or brown spot. Hence, for the topical application, you can add some baking soda to the solution before you spray the plant with it. One teaspoon per quart of water. Spray the leaves, underneath as well, and the stems and allow it to dry. Spray the leaves no less than once a week.
Spraying neem oil on the leaves kills fungal spores on the outside of the plant (baking soda enhanced solution, even more so). Feeding neem oil to the plant through the soil allows the plant to have systemic resistance to the fungus that may be infiltrating the inside of the plant.
A note of caution: some plants might not react well to baking soda and repeat applications of baking soda can negatively impact the soil. I think covering the soil with a waterproof barrier during any applications would be prudent.
Given the once source I read that said that neem oil may have limited efficacy for certain kinds of fungus, I have been experimenting with bio-active solutions, including one made by Arber that used fungal-eating bacteria. It is added to water and fed into the soil, and sprayed on the plants. It appears to be effective; however. I haven’t been using it long enough to have enough to say for certain. It’s expensive. A cheaper alternative is Bionide Revitalize. It uses an active ingredient of a natural strain of the bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which is a common fungicide. Use per the directions on the label. Lastly, depending on how much expense and effort you deem warranted , I think having a sulphur or copper based fungicide spray on hand is prudent in the event the specific pathogen you have is resistant to neem oil.
Treating fungus can require several applications. Be sure to quarantine the plant, as the pathogen is contagious. And increase ventilation—a small fan can ideal for this. Keep plants in well ventilated areas and do not let too many plants get too close together because that can create ideal conditions for a fungal outbreak. Wipe away an unnecessary moisture when you water and consider using pebbles as a top dressing to reduce exposure between the soil and the leaves. Ensure proper lighting.
A paper watering technique safeguards against leaf and brown spot and many potential pests and diseases. Preventing fungal infections through sound cultural practices (ensuring proper light, water, etc) is much easier than treating it. When watering, I find that using a watering can with a long narrow spout allows one to have more control and precision. Position the spout underneath leaves and move in a slow methodical fashion so the water can saturate the soil as it moves to the bottom the pot. Be sure to keep the leaves dry. Once water starts coming out of the drainage hole , stop watering.
Hope this helps !