Leaf Spot
Fungal or bacterial spots that mark leaves with brown or black patches, often ringed with yellow.
🔍 How to spot it
Distinct spots on the leaves - brown, black or tan, sometimes with a yellow halo or a papery centre. Fungal spots may show tiny dark specks within them; bacterial ones often look water-soaked and can smell. Spots may spread and join until whole leaves brown and fall.
💥 The damage it does
Each spot is dead leaf tissue, so heavy infection reduces the plant's ability to photosynthesise and weakens it. Most leaf spots are unsightly rather than deadly, but they spread on splashed water and can move quickly through a crowded, humid collection.
🧴 How to treat it
Remove and bin affected leaves, and do not compost them. Keep water off the foliage - water at the soil - and improve airflow. A copper-based or general fungicide slows fungal spots; bacterial spot cannot be cured, so remove infected growth and keep conditions dry.
🛡️ How to prevent it
Water at the base rather than overhead, space plants for airflow, and clear fallen leaves. Wipe tools between plants, and quarantine anything showing fresh spots before it spreads.
🌿 Plants that get leaf spot
Many houseplants and garden plants, especially in damp, crowded conditions. These 20 profiled plants name it in their own troubleshooting notes:
Houseplants 1
Garden 18
Tea 1
Struggling to save a plant? The plant rescue guides walk through recovery step by step, and the problem solver works backwards from a symptom. This is general growing advice, not a diagnosis for a specific plant.