Rots & Spots

Frequently Asked Questions

Vegetable Diseases

1. We're having a lot of trouble with diseases in tomatoes. Leaves turn brown from the bottom of the plant and move upward.  Is it a blight or a wilt?  We've moved the plants and rotated them to a new location in the garden but this hasn't helped.  So now we're thinking about creating raised beds. Will that help if these are soil fungi?
2. I would like to start seeds inside. I have started them, but as soon as they start growing, they just fall over and die. What am I doing wrong?
3. My tomatoes have dry, black patches on the bottom end. What is this and how can I stop it? Blossom end rot

Fruit Diseases

1. My apple tree is dropping leaves like crazy! Almost half the foliage is gone and the remaining leaves have orangish-spots. Cedar-apple rust
2. The leaves of my peach tree have strange, puffy, pinkish growths that I've never seen before. What is this? Peach leaf curl
3. Stems of my raspberry plants are dying. What could be wrong? Ostershell scale

Ornamental Diseases

1. I had Botrytis in my peonies last year.  What can I do to protect them this year? Botrytis
2. This viewer thinks they have verticillium wilt in a Smoketree. Is there a way to tell before they take action? And if it is, then what happens? Verticillium wilt

Tree Diseases

1. My Austrian pine tree has a lot of brown needles.  What's the problem? Dothistroma needle blight
2. Cedar trees in my windbreak are turning brown at the base. I can't find any insects, but it's getting worse every year. What's wrong? Cercospora blight
3. Suddenly this fall, my evergreen trees have many needles that are starting to change color or turn yellow. My trees aren't dying, are they? Natural needle drop
4. I'm worried about this disease of pine trees I have been hearing about. What is it and can it be prevented? Pine wilt
5. My ornamental plum tree has large black swellings on several branches.  What is this and will it kill my tree? Black knot gall
6. My crabapple tree is dropping leaves like crazy! Almost half the foliage is gone and the remaining leaves have orangish-spots. Cedar-apple rust
7. My Ash tree has orange spots on the leaves and some leaves are falling.  Is this a disease? Ash rust