Brown Spots On Succulents | Reasons And Prevention Methods |

Succulents usually grow in their natural habitats all over the world. Further you could spot many people have grown them indoors as attractive home-grown plants as well. These succulents have a natural  defense system to conserve water during intense heated times. They usually retain water in the plant. Those water retaining parts are prone to get infestations  and get diseases . Further they will get disorders which will lead to discolor of the plant along with brown spots.

When we proceed with this further, it is important to note on few factors which cause the brown spots on the succulents.  There are three main factors for this such as Succulent Edema , dissolved salts and chemicals and fungal diseases.

Brown spots in succulents

Causes for brown spot in succulents

Succulent Edema

First one would be Succulent Edema. It is a well known fact that their leaves are thick, fleshy and water retaining. However you should not water them intensively based on those facts. Instead you need to water them on a moderate level when it is necessary only. You should  do it ideally once the soil is dry enough. 

You could spot the succulents best growth when their soil gets dry between watering. If you  keep the succulents plants in too much moisture and if you  leave them in waterlogged soil for longer periods,  they will start to struggle with Edema. 

This  will eventually cause the plant to have brown, corky patches on the leaves. Chances are that those spots could come up in the undersides of the leaves which will make it more complicated to identify the disorder. Brown spots would be visible significantly on the white areas of the variegated succulents.

Dissolves salt and chemicals

Dissolves salt and chemicals is  the second factor which could cause the brown spots on succulents. Unlike other plants in general succulents, they  would not prefer too much fertilizing for them. You should apply fertilizers as appropriate  if necessary and  through  dilute fertilizer applications. 

If a succulent is getting fertilizers more,  the salt in the fertilizer will lead for root burns.. Ultimately the leaves will also burn and get brown spots.  In fact  chances are that  the salty soil system could move upwards well.

Fungus diseases.

Third factor for brown spots on succulents would be fungus diseases. Succulents are prone to get fungal leaf spot diseases. Pathogenic fungi require water for their sexual reproduction to spread out. These diseases spread rapidly in moist areas and in foggy climates.

Once the fungus  dominates and takes over the control of the plant, it will form brown spots on the surfaces of the leaves which will ultimately cause large lesions. Unfortunately there are no  treatment once your succulent gets this disease and that will lead the plant to deteriorate

Is Brown spots bad for succulents?

It could be bad for certain succulents only. Although the brown spotted plants do not look aesthetically nice ,  they are not really  harmful for certain plants.  On the other hand, there could be certain succulents which could get harmed  from the brown spots.   However the brown spots due to the sunburn will remain on the leaves and they will not fade away.

Brown spots on succulent plant leaves

Sunburn and intense heat conditions are two main factors which will cause brown spots on leaves.  In case you have changed the location of the succulent to a bright sunny location where it get too much heat and too much sun rise and if it has got brown spots on the leaves these spots are sun burns

Brown spots on succulent stem

if your succulent stem contains brown spots,  it tries to show that the succulent is struggling and it is rotting. Absorbing too much water is the main cause for rotting and if you spot any blackening over the stem, best would be to cut it off until the stem looks healthy  Eventually a tiny baby succulent could emerge at the base of the stem.

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How to fix brown spots on succulents.

First, you should minimize watering  and you should take  necessary steps to supply more sunlight for the plant. You should do watering only after the soil is dry again. In case, you have grown the plant in an inappropriate soil type,you should take off  the plant and let it dry for about two days.

Then ultimately you should plant it in a more appropriate , well-draining potting mix. It is  important to note that it’s always better to prevent the plants getting brown spots. As always  prevention is always better than cure.

Preventing the plants from getting brown spots is a very simple process.  Best would be to use a porous, well-draining soil. If you are making it on your own, you should  use 60 percent peat moss to 40 percent perlite or equal parts potting mix and coarse sand. 

If you have  grown them  in pots or in containers indoors we should ensure that we select the ones which have a good drainage system. Simultaneously, we should continue watering the plants until the additional water exists which will in return flush excess salt.

Why does my succulent have dark spots?

You could see Succulents having  black spots and  that mainly happen due to water warts, fungus and rot.Succulents are easy to care for plants in general. However chances are that they could also get pests attacks  and diseases. succulents in general don’t like moisture and hence why they get badly affected from water warts, fungus and rot these  despite how hardy they are. 

Second is the sunburn. Exposing them for scorching sun for prolonged periods is not healthy for  them. Pests such as aphids, mealybugs, could also cause for the succulents to have dark spots. Frost and overwatering are two more reasons for the succulents to have dark spots.

How do you get rid of dark spots on plants?

Prevention is always better than cure. It applies for gardening as well since sometimes it gets worse as we cannot find a cure for certain succulent black spots. Hence let’s learn  about some of the precautionary methods which we could practice. to protect our succulents. 

Keep the plants under constant observation  

Constant inspections could  help in identifying these issues in advance so that we could overcome that.  Spend a few minutes of your day  and observe  whether your plant is showing physical changes 

Isolation and repotting

 If you come across any new plant make sure that it stays separate from others so that you can see if it has any diseases already. By quarantine you can protect the other plants from that. Same thing applies for repotting as well since if there are any root rot you could spot it at once.

Ensure Hygiene

Maintaining hygiene of your garden is equally important. If your area has all sorts of dead plant material and if it is wet, fungi will love that as  that is the perfect breeding place for them.

Leaves Can Turn Brown from Underwatering

 Underwatering is one more reason for the leaves to  turn brown. On top of that, if there is  too much heat , sun rise , the plant will have a shriveled appearance along with burned leaves too. Nevertheless, it is not that hard to fix an under watered plant.

Generally , the plant will bounce back rapidly as soon as we fulfill  their water requirement . It is relatively easier to fix an under watered plant rather than fixing an overwatered plant.

Best Watering Tips for succulents

The ideal recommendation to water the succulents would be to use the Soak and Dry method. It is very simple as you have to first soak the soil with water entirely. After that  let them dry totally, before we start on the next watering session. In the meantime, we should ensure that they get the best draining soil type with good ventilation. Further make sure that the pot has got  enough draining holes too. 

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 If it’s a glass container  you could add a layer of  pebble and charcoal which will stimulate good drainage. Make sure you use the correct material for the pot also which will be effective in this. You may further select  as to what type of water , your succulent wish to have as some plants  would love rain water or distilled water while there could be some who  will like tap water.

brown spots in succulents

Why do my Succulent leaves turn black and fall off?

Succulents leaves turn black and fall off due to issues related to overwatering. If your plants’ leaves are turning black and tend to drop at the slightest touch, that indicates  it is rotting from the root up due to excess water. 

Leaves will also get delicate and mushy. In addition to over watering it could be due to incorrect potting blend as well. It is a well known fact that well draining soil is essential to prevent root rot. To prevent this, you should remove the plants and cut off the damaged parts . 

Select the unharmed and the healthy parts and let them dry for about two  days. Now it’s the time to stick them in the appropriate potting mix which is well draining. 

What cause rust on succulents?

Fungal parasites which require live plants for their survival is the main reason for rust disease. You could spot this disease mostly in mild, moist conditions. Transferred spores from infected plants  to the healthy pants  spread the rust. 

Their spreading modes would be  by both water and by wind. Hence why, it usually occurs after watering. Moisture on the surfaces is also essential to cause infections. You should take necessary steps to protect the plant from this.

Should I remove leaves with brown spots? 

You should take off any leaves which have got brown spots.  Despite  how enthusiastically you take care of the plants, you cannot spot the leaves getting brown spots. . Hence, it is vital to be aware of how to treat it.

 First of all, if you spot your plant has got tiny brown circles on the leaves, you should start treatment. If this occurs on a house plant,  we  should isolate it abruptly in order to prevent it getting spread. You should take off any leaves which have got brown spots. You should stop Misting also. 

 If it is in the garden, the treatment which we do for them  is different to what we do for an indoor plant. in addition to taking off the leaves, we could also use organic treatments. 

Should I cut off leaves with brown spots? 

Yes, you should proceed with cutting off the dying leaves from the house plants as fast as you can in case there  are more than 50 percent affected. Cutting off the leaves will make things better for the rest of the healthy foliage to survive . further it will help  to absorb more nutrients and  to beautify their looks too.

 We should cut off the dying leaves to free up nutrients,  to encourage new growth, to improve health and appearances and lastly to  prevent the spread of diseases ,  pests. Those are the three main reasons why we should cut off the dying leaves.

If you spot a leaf which is entirely dead and brown, we should take it  out then and there. However it is important that you don’t remove more than one third of living leaves. When you are cutting the brown leaf tips, you have the choice of trimming the brown tips or the edges only.

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How do you get rid of leaf spot disease?

Leaf spots don’t harm the plants significantly despite the fact that they will not look good aesthetically. However if we take the  precautions at the initial stage it won’t be a trouble in the coming year as the growth progresses.

Firstly, we should take up and destroy the fallen leaves as if not they have got the ability to re-infect. Keep in mind to not to overcrowd the plants. You could do pruning also  here as appropriate.  Moisture encourages spreading the disease more, hence do not water the leaves of the plants. 

Instead of that  water the base.we should do it in such a way where it will keep the top 6-8 inches of the soil wet. Particularly in the summer period. Make sure that the soil is dry before we start watering. We should ensure that we keep a 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch around the tree. 

Further refrain in applying fertilizers for these trees unless you get the recommendation for that from a soil test for nutrients deficiency. Avoid Utilizing fungicides also  during this process unless there is an absolute need.

Can I cut the brown tips off my snake plant?

You should cut off the brown tip off the snake plant. Snake plants are very hardy. However, they could also form brown tips off on their plants due to improper watering, over chlorinated water, too much sunlight and intense heat , cold stress etc.

Best prevention method is you should  identify the issue and enhance the growing conditions.having said that  the damage from those to the plant is significant hence why it is important to prune the damaged leaves.

 If there is an insignificant harm , you better cut off the brown part of the tip. However, keep in mind taht l they won’t grow. Hence, ensure that your plant will still look good after you trim the plant. However if you notice that the damage is significant, you may  cut off the entire leaf. This is not worrying though as the rhizome root structure will send up new shoots faster. 

Should you cut brown tips off peace lily?

Yes, you  should cut brown tips off peace lily in order to keep your plant healthy and happy. It is not a complicated process.  You only have the  Brown tips of these leaves mainly due to inappropriate watering practices or improper fertilization practices.

Taking care of the peace lily and simple.  pruning of damaged parts of the plant will usually make things better and overcome the problems with browning.  Chances are that Some brown tips could form naturally due to aging of the plants  as well.  

Why is my anthurium leaves have brown spots?

If you ever wonder as to why your anthurium has got brown spots, there are several things which would cause it. Out of them , the most frequent reason is leaf blight which you could call  a leaf spot as well. This is happening due to a  bacteria which badly affects the leaves. I

n addition to this, nutrient deficiency , too much exposure for  sun light are some more factors for this. If we identify both bacterial diseases and nutrient deficiencies well in advance , we can give remedies for that and can get our plant back to health.

That will be possible  particularly if the plant has got a minimal number of brown spots and if it has not spread all over the plant. Unless otherwise, it will be too late to save our plant.

Credit to : These Succulent Buddies

Read more : Succulent Leaves Turning Yellow And Soft | How To Solve

About author

I’m Dr. Chamika, As a hobby love talking about plants and showing you that taking care of indoor plants. My website is knowledge I’ve learned over the years and continue to learn about growing succulents. If you’re a succulent lover, then you have come to the correct place.