Garden expert shares how to prevent black spot disease ‘attacking’ and ‘weakening’ plants
Black spot leaf disease is an infection that affects roses and is the most serious disease the plants can get. The disease is caused by a fungus and can be spotted on a plant's leaves.
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Gardening experts at the home improvement retailer Homebase has shared how to prevent black spot on plants.
Black spot is a leaf disease that “attacks” plants throughout the year but is most prevalent during the dry months.
If left untreated, black spot “spreads rapidly” and “weakens plants severely”.
Gardeners will need to first identify the disease on plants before treating it.
The symptoms of black spot are small, round black patches that range from one millimetre to one centimetre on the upper side of the spots.
Around the spots and patches, the leaf “turns yellow” and will eventually fall prematurely.
As soon as gardeners see any signs of black spot, the affected leaves need to be removed using secateurs or by hand.
If there’s debris at the base of the plant, this needs to be removed and either burnt or thrown away.
The debris and the diseased leaves cannot be put in the compost heap as this will spread the disease.
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This task needs to be repeated throughout the year whenever blackspot appears.
Some gardeners choose to use sprays like fungicides to control black spot. This should only be used after cultural controls have been applied.
Gardeners must follow all the correct instructions when using sprays as applying them incorrectly could damage other plants and wildlife.
Spraying affected plants will minimise the spread of black spot but it won’t stop it all together.
The healthier the plant, the less likely it is to catch the disease.
“To avoid black spot, in the future, keep plants well-watered and fed,” the expert said.