Plant necrosis is the premature death of cells caused by injury or destruction of the plant’s tissues or cells caused by its own enzymes (autolysis).
You may also hear this condition referred to as leaf spot disease, damping off, or several other names applied to plant death caused by viral, bacterial, or fungal infection.
This type of condition leads to the yellowing, browning, and blackening of certain plant parts, predominantly seen in leaves.
Deficiencies in essential elements like Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Copper (Cu), and Potassium (K) are often associated with necrosis in plants.
In this article, we share smart tips to help you identify and deal with plant necrosis. Read on to learn more.
What Causes Leaf Spot Plant Disease and How to Prevent Them
Top 10 Tips for Preventing Plant Necrosis
Plant necrosis is challenging, but it is not impossible to prevent and treat it. To prevent leaf spot diseases and maintain healthy plant growth, follow these ten tips:
1. Remove fallen leaves before the first freeze to prevent pathogens from overwintering and infecting plants in the spring.
2. Don’t overcrowd your plants. Always consider plants’ mature size as a spacing guide during planting.
3. Keep your trees and shrubs properly trimmed to improve air circulation and light penetration.
4. Avoid overhead watering using a soaker or drip hose. Water the base of trees to avoid wetting leaves.
5. Never allow soil to become too soggy or too dry. Maintain consistent soil moisture throughout the growing season by allowing the soil to nearly dry before re-watering.
6. Apply a 3- to 4-inch-deep layer of mulch around trees and in garden beds to keep soil evenly moist. Avoid direct contact with the plant stems and tree trunks.
7. Apply fresh mulch annually to maintain a nice thick level of protection.
8. Refrain from fertilizing trees and plants affected by leaf spot diseases unless a soil test recommends nutrient correction.
9. Use fungicides sparingly as a preventative. For example, if your tree gets powdery mildew or sooty mold in the summertime, apply fungicide lightly before symptoms appear on leaves.
10. Consider hiring a professional arborist for leaf spot disease treatment for large trees.
What Causes Plant Necrosis?
Plant viruses, bacteria, poor conditions, and several different nutrient deficiencies can lead to plant necrosis.
Most often, the lack of Potassium causes chlorosis, leading to tissue death. Other nutrient shortages may also cause this problem.
For example, a lack of Calcium can stunt plant growth, and Magnesium deficiency may also cause necrosis in plants. The insufficiency of any of these nutrients may cause necrosis that mostly affects the leaf tissue of plants.
Fundamentals of Plant Diseases: Symptoms of Necrotic Spots
How Can You Tell Necrosis From Chlorosis?
Chlorosis and necrosis are very different plant conditions. Chlorosis is caused by a lack of iron in the soil or the plants’ inability to access iron.
When this happens, the plant’s chlorophyll breaks down, or its production is disrupted. This interferes with photosynthesis and causes yellow leaves.
On the other hand, necrosis causes plant tissue to turn dry and brown-to-black. This usually happens along the leaf margins and then spreads across the body of the leaf.
How Can You Tell Necrosis From Blight?
Blight involves yellowing, browning, and dramatic changes in plant vigor.
It is characterized by very quick yellowing, browning, and collapse of plants’ leaves, shoots, stems, and flowers. This is quickly followed by entire plant death.
Necrosis is cell death that causes browning or blackening of certain plant areas, not the entire plant.
Necrotic Plant Diseases
Can You Treat Necrosis In Plants?
Various triggers can cause necrotic plant disease and affect any plant, so treatment success can vary widely.
Overall, it is better to prevent this problem than to attempt to treat it, but there are treatments to be had in some cases.
For example, in the event of necrotic leaf blotch in apples, it is possible to treat trees to manage symptoms. Treatment will not cure the disorder, though.
Necrotic leaf blotch is a physiological disorder that affects Golden Delicious apple trees and bud sports (crosses or mutations). This disorder causes medium to large, irregular necrotic lesions on the mature leaves of trees from mid- to late summer.
When this happens, the affected tissues turn yellow, and the leaves fall. Regular application of zinc oxide every two weeks from the time buds first appear until the harvest can mitigate symptoms.
To manage this condition, you can treat trees with zinc-containing fungicides or foliar sprays containing zinc nutrients before symptoms appear or as quickly as possible. This can help reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Good Plant Care Is The Best Prevention For Necrosis
The best way to avoid plant necrosis and a vast array of other plant problems is by simply providing your plants, trees, and shrubs with what they need to thrive.
Remember to research the requirements of every plant you add to your collection so that you can be sure of providing it with just the right light, temperature, water, soil, and nutrients for success.
Keep a close eye on your garden so that you can address potential problems before they become overwhelming.
Follow these tips to protect your plants from necrosis and promote their overall health and growth.
Gary Antosh
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