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How to Identify, Control, and Treat Anthracnose

Fungal anthracnose attacks these young grapevine leaves.

Photo Credit
Photo by CSIRO ScienceImage via Wikimedia Commons
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Prevent This Fungal Disease in Your Garden

Catherine Boeckmann
Pest Type
Plant Diseases

Anthracnose is a fungal disease that affects many plants, including vegetables, fruits, and trees. It causes dark, sunken lesions on leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits. It also attacks developing shoots and expanding leaves. It can spread very quickly during rainy seasons. Learn how to treat plants affected by anthracnose and how to prevent it.

What is Anthracnose? 

Anthracnose is a general term for a variety of diseases that affect plants in similar ways. Anthracnose is especially known for the damage that it can cause to trees. Anthracnose is caused by a fungus, and among vegetables, it attacks cucurbits.

Anthracnose can survive on infected plant debris and is very easily spread. Like rust, it thrives under moist and warm conditions and is often spread by watering.

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Identification

How to Identify Anthracnose

  • On leaves, anthracnose generally appears first as small, irregular yellow or brown spots. These spots darken as they age and may also expand, covering the leaves.
  • On vegetables, it can affect any part of the plant.
  • On fruits, it produces small, dark, sunken spots, which may spread. In moist weather, pinkish spore masses form in the center of these spots. Eventually, the fruits will rot.
  • On trees, it can kill the tips of young twigs. It also attacks the young leaves, which develop brown spots and patches. It can also cause defoliation of the tree.
anthracnose-identification-disease.jpg
Anthracnose can affect many plants with its brown spots, including this cucumber leaf.
Photo Credit: Rutgers University. 
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Control and Prevention

How to Control Anthracnose

  • Remove and destroy any infected plants in your garden. For trees, prune out the dead wood and destroy the infected leaves.
  • You can try spraying your plants with a copper-based fungicide, though be careful because copper can build up to toxic levels in the soil for earthworms and microbes. For trees, try a dormant spray of bordeaux mix.

Prevent Anthracnose

  • Plant resistant plants, or buy healthy transplants.
  • Plant your plants in well-drained soil. You can also enrich the soil with compost to help plants resist diseases.
  • Water your plants with a drip sprinkler, as opposed to an overhead sprinkler. Don’t touch the plants when they are wet.
  • Keep ripening fruits from touching the soil.
  • Remember to rotate your plants every 2 to 3 years.
Plant Disease
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË found each other. She leads digital content for the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Hi Debra,
It's hard to tell what pest you have. It could be mealy bugs. The brown "coating" on the stems may be scale insects. We suggest that you spray the soil and plants with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Repeat two to three times. If this doesn't help replace the potting soil with new fresh soil.
www.almanac.com/topics/gardening/pests-and-problems?page=1
To see more information about white flies go to http://www.almanac.com/content/whiteflies
 

martin maughan (not verified)

10 years 8 months ago

all my vegetables are coming up now,and here come the pests.my garden bean leaves are slowly getting munched,looks to me to be some sort of tiny fly.and the ants seem to have a path straight across my garden.north to south.tried the ecco friendly home defense,states its plant oils,but 98% other ingredients-not named.well it deters ants for the day,but always a new group comes through.they are different species day by day.they do not seem to be hassling the plants(cucumbers,tomato,bellpeper,lettuce,corn, and cilantro)the soil here in az is terrible,but I mixed with sand,and fertalizer.all my plants are up now from seed.marigolds is the only flower i planted and they are just starting,as i was told most pests do not come around,due to smell I assume.well enjoy everyone-may you all have a bountiful year.

Rosangela de Azevedo (not verified)

11 years 4 months ago

Any ideas on how to get rid of slugs? I an trying to get rid of them and I cannot have big expenses on it.

Ammonia will kill slugs and not hurt the plants. I believe the mix is 1 part to 6 water.

Hi Rosangela,

They don't like beer so if you put a container close to where your endangered plants are, they will be drawn to it, crawl in and drown (but what a way to go!). Also, they don't like copper at all and you can either put copper wire around your plants in a circle or I've seen copper tape at home and garden stores that does the same thing. Both of these ways are preferable to using strong chemicals and both work well but you will need to replenish the beer periodically. You could also try a big line of salt around your plants but this is rather unsightly and will need constant tending, especially in damp or wet weather. Good luck!

I just started using cornmeal the snails and slugs just love it. Place the cornmeal 2TBS into a glass jar laying on it's side and wait. We have eliminated both in our yard.

they hate sand ,,,,,,put it around your plants
kinserpumkinpatch@yahoo.com

See our slug page for ideas--many are inexpensive solutions: http://www.almanac.com/content/slugs

Brrenda Manning (not verified)

11 years 5 months ago

I have had very good results using grits to get rid of fire ants. Just sprinkle the dry grits on the hills and the ants will eat them. When they take a drink of water the grits swell and burst the ants. The ants are usually gone by the next morning.

LaDonna Adams (not verified)

11 years 9 months ago

I have fire ants in my yard; but I cannot find their bed. We recently had a lot of rain; problem is this is the exact spot where I want to till the soil for a small garden in a week or so. Any suggestions on how to get rid of them?