Stop Sooty Mold Fungus From Attacking Your Plants | Gardener's Path

Are parts of your plants covered with black splotches or a dark coating?

If so, it’s possible they are suffering from a condition called sooty mold.

Sooty mold is the common name for several types of fungi that grow on the sweet secretions left behind by sap-sucking insects that feed on your plants.

While these fungi do not infect the plants, they can cause damage by covering such large areas that they block sunlight from the leaves.

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This condition is usually an indication of an infestation from aphids, whiteflies, soft scale, leafhoppers, mealybugs, spotted lanternflies, and other insects with piercing mouthparts that feed on plant sap.

You can usually solve the problem by taking steps to control the insect infestation.

In this article, you’ll learn how to identify and treat an outbreak of sooty mold in your garden.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

Sooty mold is a condition caused by the growth of several different kinds of fungi that feed on the honeydew secretions left behind by insects on plants and other surfaces.

As the fungi grow, they produce dark mycelial threads that look like soot. These can be small and blotchy or large, black masses that cover large areas of the foliage, stems, and in some cases, fruit and vegetable crops.

The fungi that cause sooty mold can be quite complex. Some will grow on the honeydew produced by several different kinds of insects, while other fungi are specific to particular plants or the secretions of certain insects.

Common fungi that cause sooty mold include species ofScoias, Cladosporium, Fumago, and Capnodium.

The fungi