One of my Star Fruit trees was planted in a congested and humid area in my garden. While harvesting star fruits, I noticed a lot of leaves are filled with brown spots. The spots are like small circles and dots. In this article, I will share you my experience and how did I fix brown spots on star fruit leaves.
Brown spots and leaves turning brown are completely two different things. You will understand both from my guide.
In my case, the spot color is somehow reddish to brown.
At the end of this article, I have mentioned what to do to prevent other brown leaves symptoms.
What did I notice?
I take the plant diseases seriously and the spots made me worried.
I tried to take a closer look at the leaves, and I found out some brown spots are larger in size and some are just like small dots. But day by day the smaller dots went bigger and made large circular spots.
You can take a look at the below picture:
This was the ignorant tree in my garden.
Reason and treatment
I have been gardening for a long time and it did not take me much time to identify the reason.
The brown spots were due to the fungal infection. The same type of symptoms can be seen if the leaves are infected by a bacterial pathogen.
So how can you tell the exact reason so that you can cure it?
There are two major fungi behind the spots:
- Cercospora beticola
- Anthracnose
I am eliminating the Cercospora beticola fungus as this fungus prefers to attack plants mostly and not trees. (Especially genus Beta plants are affected the most by this fungus) For example: Red spots on malabar spinach.
So the most possible culprit is Anthracnose. And believe me, this is really bad.
If your star fruit tree is having any fruits at this time, check the fruits.
Can you notice any brown or reddish spots on the fruits? If yes then check the shape of the fruits. Due to Anthracnose attack, the fruits might bend or shape might change.
Treatment: I will suggest you apply fungicides that contain chlorothalonil, mancozeb, or copper-based products in them.
Apply once a month and repeat this up to three months.
If you are not from a humid region and you are seeing brown spots due to sudden cold, wait until the weather gets warmer.
What to do if the brown spots are only on the leaves and not on the fruits
If this is not the fruiting time, it's obvious you can not check the fruits. In this case, you can apply the previous treatment method.
Otherwise, if your tree has fruits on it but the fruits are clean and have no sign of brown spots or red spots you can follow the below:
Apply Propiconazole or Myclobutanil fungicide. This is a systematic fungicide and this will be absorbed by the tree. (Good for long-lasting effect)
Natural steps you should take:
Prune your tree (mostly the affected branches), clean the base of your tree and allow good air circulation.
These steps will reduce the chances of fungal infections.
If you notice, the brown edges and the leaves are curling or shrinking, it is due to over-fertilization. Water well and do not feed your plant for the next two months.
If only leaf tips are turning brown, indicate underwatering. Water well in that case also.
I know its frustrating to find the exact reason, but don't worry I would be glad to help you. Just write down the specific symptom in the comment section below by subscribing to this site. I promise to get back to you with the solution as early as possible.
