On many occasions we find ourselves unpleasantly surprised to discover white spots on the leaves or stems of our plants, whether they are indoors or in the garden. Unfortunately, there are a large number of possible causes that can cause these types of symptoms, and it is worth mentioning each one of them and their possible treatments separately.
If you want to learn more about the pests and diseases that cause light spots on the leaves, join us in this EcologíaVerde article in which we talk about the causes and treatments of white spots on plant leaves.
White spots on the leaves of plants – causes
As a summary, we leave this list of the main diseases and pests of plants that can cause white spots on leaves:
- Powdery mildew and other types of fungi on plants.
- Botrytis.
- Red spider.
In any case, there are more conditions that produce this symptom and we recommend you read this other gardening guide from EcologíaVerde to learn about Plant pests and diseases: lists of names and how to eliminate them.
Powdery mildew: main cause of white spots on plant leaves
Powdery mildew, also called white disease of plants, is undoubtedly the main cause of white spots in a large number of plant species around the world. It is a disease caused by a fungus, which affects a huge number of crops, including damage to vines and vegetables, especially tomatoes, beans, potatoes, chard and a good part of cucurbits, such as melon, watermelon, pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini. In addition to these, ornamental plants are also not safe, such as rose bushes.
The powdery mildew fungus comes in the form of small white spots on the leaves, usually located on the upper side of the leaves, but which can extend over its entire surface and even through the fruits of the plant. It’s easy to spot, and as it develops, the white spots eventually give way to a whitish, ash-like powder.
If not dealt with in time, the presence of spots does not allow the plant to carry out photosynthesis properly, and can end up drying the leaves and rotting the fruits. The fungus appears when temperatures are warm and humidity is high, so its arrival is very common in spring in temperate zones, or throughout the year in tropical climates. If your garden meets these two conditions, it is very likely that powdery mildew will end up appearing. Luckily, fighting it is not difficult. As in all cases of fungi, the first thing to do is remove and properly eliminate the affected leaves and areas. Later, we can resort to home and ecological remedies, not being necessary to resort to synthetic chemical fungicides. Especially useful are horsetail or garlic infusionsor homemade fungicide made with milk.
So that you know more about this plant fungus and the best ways to eliminate it, in this other article we show you how to combat powdery mildew with home remedies.
Botrytis, another fungus that causes white spots on leaves
Botrytis is another disease, also quite common, caused by a fungus. like the oid, botrytis it appears with humid and warm climates and is shown in the form of rotting areas of gray or whitish tones in the fruits and shoots.
fight this fungus on plants it is somewhat more difficult than eliminating powdery mildew or mildew and although ecological fungicides can work preventively, its elimination is more complicated. It is vital to maintain very good drainage in the soil or land of the plants, in addition to favoring the circulation of air currents, separating the plants and pruning them so that they are not so closed.
In this other article you can learn about the best homemade fungicides to use as prevention and support in the treatment of botrytis and to eliminate powdery mildew and other fungi.
Treatment of white spots on the leaves – fungicide with milk
For prepare a natural fungicide with milkyou just need to follow these steps:
- Mix 4 parts of rainwater (or water that has rested for 48 hours if it is from the tap) with one part of milk, if possible skimmed to remove the fattest part.
- Add 20 grams of baking soda for every liter of fungicide to be made.
- Mix it well until you see it homogeneous.
- Preventively spray the mixture after each rain and every 15 days on all the plants, both the affected ones and the healthy ones. This fungicide is also a great contribution of very healthy nutrients for plants.
red spider on plants
Despite its name, this plague is actually a very small mite what can be of red to white colors depending on the species. When the pest appears, some plant leaves may show a large number of tiny white spots on leaves, caused by the mite when it sucks the juices of the plant to feed. When there are a large number of them, they can be seen with the naked eye and form webs, with which they move to nearby plants. They hide on the underside of the leaves, and can be combated with Neem oil or potassium soap, in addition to increasing the humidity in the leaves, because the pest does not support high humidity.
To learn more about this plague, we recommend these other articles about the Red Spider: how to eliminate it and about How to make potassium soap.
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