How to Treat Plants With Black Sooty Mold
Black sooty mold on plants is unattractive and is a sign of problems beyond mere fungus. This black mold usually forms due to an insect waste product (called honeydew) left on plants. Insects that cause this problem include aphids and mealy bugs, two common garden pests. Treating sooty mold, therefore, is not a matter of just removing the mold. For a long-term solution to this problem, you must get rid of the insects. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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How to Treat Plants with Black Sooty Mold
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Don your garden gloves. Dilute the insecticidal soap according to the label instructions and then pour this solution into a new, clean garden sprayer. How much soap you will need depends on how many plants you must treat---one gallon is usually sufficient for the average garden.
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2
Gently spray insecticidal soap solution on all the leaves and stems affected by the black sooty mold. Let it rest on the leaves for several minutes, but do not let this dry on the leaves.
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3
Rinse the leaves off with clean water from a water hose. Not all of the mold may come off this way, but much of it should.
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Wipe off any remaining mold with a damp towel. Let the plants dry for a while.
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5
Spray each plant affected by the mold with a long-lasting insecticide. Insecticidal soap helps remove the mold and kills insects directly contacting the soap, but for long-lasting results, you may need to use an insecticide.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure the insecticidal soap you choose is OK to use on your particular type of plant (most are safe for the majority of plants, but it's best to check). You can buy garden sprayers at a garden store. Don't use an old one that has been used for killing weeds---any leftover trace of weed killer can seriously harm your plants. As an alternative to a new garden sprayer, a regular empty plastic spray bottle will work, too; however, its nozzle may get clogged more quickly. Spray plants on mild, overcast days so they are not scorched from sunlight.
Although black sooty mold may not always damage your plants directly (except in cases where mold is so thick it interrupts the plant leaves' ability to get adequate sun---which interrupts photosynthesis), the insects contributing to the mold will. Therefore, this mold and the culprit insects must be taken care of or your plants may die.
