Black sooty mould

Black sooty mould

Symptoms

Leaves become covered with a black or greenish mould layer.

Cause

A fungus which colonises honeydew , a sticky substance secreted by sap-sucking insects such as aphids, scale, mealy bugs and whitefly.

Harm

If the infestation is very heavy then light and air is prevented from reaching the leaves. These are essential elements needed for plants to make their own food.

Treatment

Sooty mould can be wiped from large tough leaves using soapy water. Otherwise, there is no direct control for sooty mould, so you have to deal with the pest that is secreting the honey dew, which is usually scale insects.

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