Sasha CampbellThis article helps you sort through organic treatments and home remedies for plant diseases.
Infectious plant diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and nematodes [1]. Fortunately, there are natural ways to get rid of the problem.
Losing even a few units of crops to diseases can be devastating if they’re your entire income. Plus, you spent all the time, money, and care building your fields and gardens.
Below is a list of the most common plant diseases, their causes, and how to identify and treat them organically.
1. Bacterial Canker
Image via compuventas.com.co
Bacterial canker is one of the primary bacterial diseases in some fruit trees.
This cherry tree killer likes to show up after the trees have been wounded. It does so through pruning or something else that causes a gash in the bark.
Bacterial canker takes the form of sunken, water-soaked, and gummy-looking lesions on the trunk or twigs.
Bacterial Canker Treatment
One way to control bacterial canker is to prune trees while they bloom and remove weeds and grass around the tree’s base.
Additionally, Monterey Complete is an excellent natural treatment for bacterial canker disease.
2. Blossom End Rot
Blossom end rot is most commonly found in tomatoes and peppers. It is not a disease but a plant disorder caused by a lack of calcium or inconsistent watering.
Preventing Blossom End Rot
Mix bone meal or oyster shells into the soil to raise calcium levels. Mulch can also help keep the soil evenly moist and retain moisture for long periods.
With mulch, your water will be evenly distributed, preventing blossom-end rot from easily taking hold.
3. Brown Rot
Picture via weeklytimesnow.com.au
Brown rot is another prevalent fruit killer. It mainly affects stone fruits like plums, nectarines, cherries, and peaches.
Fruits will show circular brown spots with rotting areas, producing clumps of gray spores.
Getting Rid of Brown Rot
Remove infected fruits and prune diseased branches as soon as possible. Additionally, keep the surrounding area clean of fallen fruit and twigs.
4. Clubroot
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Brassicas, such as mustard, cauliflower, kale, and cabbages, face the highest risk from this soil-borne disease.
When it implants, it causes the roots to grow abnormally, which blocks the proper absorption of water and nutrients.
The plants around the base will turn brown or yellow and die. The spores can survive in the soil for many years, so treatment is crucial.
Controlling Clubroot
Fungicides will not work, so to prevent clubroot disease, focus on rotating crops and cleaning your garden.
Additionally, weed carefully and keep your soil’s pH neutral or slightly alkaline, testing it frequently throughout the season with a soil test kit.
5. Anthracnose
Photo via almanac.com
Anthracnose is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lagenarium [2]. It generally affects tropical foliage plants, succulents, trees, and woody ornamentals.
Treating Anthracnose
Prune dead and infected plant parts and destroy them. Infected plants should also be removed from the garden.
Another way to control this plant disease organically is to use CEASE. This non-toxic fungicide will address the problem. Moreover, it will not harm your crops or pollinators.
You can also make a natural fungicide for trees and vegetable plants by combining three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of liquid soap, and a gallon of water.
Shake well and use this homemade fungicide spray to treat anthracnose and other fungal diseases.
6. Damping Off
Image via groworganic.com
Damping off affects seeds and new seedlings. Unfortunately, once it has taken hold, there is no cure, as it causes new growth to become mushy and water-soaked, killing the seedling at the base.
Preventing Damping-Off
Use well-drained soil to avoid overcrowding your crops. Moreover, good air circulation can protect the seedlings from damping off.
7. Downy Mildew
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This mildew appears on the upper sides of leaves as yellow or pale green spots. The undersides have a white, fluffy fungal growth.
The downy masses will show up after a rain, disappearing again when the sun comes out.
Getting Rid of Downy Mildew
To naturally control downy mildew, try staking your plants. Also, water the plants early in the morning so they can dry out during the day.
Additionally, eliminate humidity and moisture around your plants and apply BANISH whenever necessary. You can also use Monterey Organic Copper Fungicide Spray to treat downy mildew.
8. Early Blight
Picture via pestnet.org
Early blight is a common disease of tomato and potato plants. It creates brown spots in a bullseye pattern on the older leaves, turning them yellow and causing them to wither.
Preventing Early Blight
Pruning, staking, and keeping the soil clean and debris-free give plants a good chance of survival. Furthermore, adding organic compost can protect the vegetation from soil spores.
Fungastop organic garden fungicide can also protect against this fungal disease.
You can also make a DIY fungal spray for plants using baking soda. Combine one teaspoon of baking soda with a teaspoon of liquid soap and a quart of water.
Shake well and use this homemade antifungal spray to coat affected plants. Baking soda kills some soil fungi and diminishes the effects of others.
9. Fusarium Wilt
Image via fieldcrops.cals.cornell.edu
This plant disease attacks crops like potatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes.
Infected plants wither, turn yellow, and die. However, the symptoms usually do not appear until later in the growing season.
Controlling Fusarium Wilt
There is no effective treatment; only infected plants are removed from the garden when discovered. You should also treat the soil using a method like soil solarization.
10. Gray Mold
Photo via koppertus.com
Gray mold appears as a cluster of gray spores that attach to the fruit or vegetable and spread. It usually develops in high humidity and causes areas on fruits to rot.
Treating Gray Mold
Stake plants and improve airflow. Additionally, water early in the morning with a soaker hose, allowing the plants to dry.
Arber Bio Fungicide can also help control gray mold on plants.
11. Late Blight
Image via thespruce.com
Tomatoes and potatoes suffer the most from this disease, which occurs late in the growing season.
Late blight appears as water-soaked, dark green, or purple-brown spots on leaves. Interestingly, this disease caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s [2].
Controlling Late Blight
Remove volunteer plants from the garden and practice good crop rotation to help prevent late blight. Also, all debris must be destroyed following a harvest.
12. Leaf Curl
Image via baag.com.au
Leaf curl is an annoying plant disease affecting peaches, almonds, and nectarines. It is the bane of orchard farmers almost everywhere.
Leaves start to curl and look severely distorted. They may also have a purple or reddish cast.
Treating Leaf Curl
Prune trees and spray them entirely with a copper fungicide.
13. Leaf Spot
Image via nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu
Bacteria or fungi mainly cause leaf spots on trees, shrubs, and some vegetables, such as beets, tomatoes, and lettuce.
Brown, yellow, orange-red, tan, or black spots will start to appear on leaves, which can later weaken the plant.
Preventing Leaf Spot
Remove fallen leaves from beneath and avoid overcrowding plants. Additionally, water crops at their roots and keep the leaves dry.
14. Mosaic Virus
Picture via almanac.com
The mosaic virus impacts many plants. It often causes yellow, white, or green marks on leaves.
Smaller leaves may also appear wavy.
Preventing Mosaic Virus
There is no cure for the mosaic virus, so do your best to prevent it. Disinfect your tools and remove any infected plant parts.
15. Potato Scab
Image via allotment-garden.org
Potato growers are very familiar with and annoyed by this one. Its symptoms resemble dark brown patchy areas that can look like raised warts.
Potato scab disease can affect a small section or completely engulf the potato garden. The organism that causes it can survive indefinitely in slightly alkaline soil.
Preventing Potato Scab
To avoid this, practice regular crop rotation and keep pH levels at 5.2 or lower. Also, make sure the soil is moist, but do not overwater.
16. Powdery Mildew
If the wind blows, powdery mildew will likely spread from an infected plant to another nearby.
This disease affects outdoor plants and causes the leaves to turn yellow or brown. It also creates a white, powdery substance on the upper surfaces of the leaves.
Getting Rid of Powdery Mildew
Plant seedlings in a sunny location. Prune and stake your plants regularly. Keep the ground debris-free and add a thick layer of mulch.
Moreover, you can make a homemade milk spray of 40% milk and 60% water to further discourage the mildew from forming. Or, you can make a natural fungicide for powdery mildew by combining three tablespoons of neem oil with a gallon of water.
You can also try JMS Stylet Oil and BANISH. They are affordable organic fungicides for powdery mildew.
17. Rusts
Picture via britannica.com
There are over 5,000 different species of rust disease on plants, and they can attack almost anything, from crops to lawns [3].
Rusts appear as yellow or rusty-brown spots on leaves. They become covered in rust-colored pustules, eventually causing discoloration and leaf drop.
Treating Rust Plant Disease
Watering early in the morning gives the plants time to dry off during the day. Also, all debris from between the plants must be cleared away.
Additionally, Bonide Sulfur Fungicide is a product organic farmers use to control fungal diseases like this. It gives an extra layer of protection against plant rust.
Following the baking soda recipe above, you can also make a cheap, organic fungicide.
See also: tomato plant diseases (with pictures) and natural treatments.
Takeaway
The variety of plant problems is mind-boggling, especially since some cannot be stopped once they take hold.
However, healthy habits and natural plant disease control methods always exist to address the issues.
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