Brown Spots on Leaves

Leaves have brown spots on them.

In most cases, brown spots represent a form of necrosis. Such brown spots may take a variety of appearances depending on the cause. For instance, these spots may appear as dry brown spots, shiny brown spots or soft, oozy, "water-soaked" spots. In other cases, brown spots may be a fungus which grows superficially on the leaves. This fungus is called Sooty Mold, and it will appear as tiny, dark speckles covering the upper surface of leaves. In other cases, dark speckles will appear on the underside of the leaves. These will be slightly raised and are caused by the feeding activity of Mites.

To begin narrowing down the cause, look at the descriptions below, and select the one that best describes the symptoms you are seeing.

• Leaves have dark speckles on them. These speckles may appear on either the upper surface or the underside of the leaves. When found on the upper surface, the speckles will appear to be not part of the leaf tissue. In fact, a little rubbing alcohol is enough to wash them off. When found on the underside of the leaves, the speckles will appear slightly-raised.
• Leaves have brown spots (not speckles) on the upper surface of them. These spots appear to be part of the tissue of the leaves, and they may appear dry or soft and oozy ("water-soaked"). In some cases, the tissue in the center of the spots may be lighter in color, or it may appear to have dropped out.
• Leaves have brown spots (not speckles) on the underside of them. These spots appear to part of the tissue of the leaves, and they may appear dry or shiny.

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