Pothos disease or no worries?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I have a large pot of "Neon Green" pothos. It is growing well, but recently, on just a couple of leaves, white spots have appeared, sometimes with a brown/black dead area in the center of the white spot.

See photos.

I looked for examples of pothos diseases here and there, but didn't see this listed, but then neither were other diseases I've seen on pothos, so I don't trust the sources I've seen.

If this is a fungal disease, I will want to at least cut the affected part of the leaf but is it's some other problem, the remedy might be something else entirely.

Obviously, I'd want to start eliminating infected leaves while they are still only a couple.

I have avoided over watering and only used well-diluted plant food 1 time.

I have had this plant in bright, direct sunlight, protected by a thick piece of glass, and I don't see evidence of "burning" from sunlight anywhere on the plant, in fact it's growing very fast.

Featured Answer

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

3 years ago

Sunburn is a chemical reaction that occurs as molecules in the plant's photosynthesizing machinery are returning to their normal rate of excitement after being over-stimulated by an excessive photo load. This process produces a powerful oxidase (H2O2/ hydrogen peroxide which attacks and oxidizes the first organic molecule it contacts - most often the green pigment, chlorophyll.

Heat stress is caused either by high ambient temperatures of excessive passive solar gain and is physiologically, very different from sunburn, particularly in that it doesn't involve production of a highly reactive oxidase.

People often use the term 'thick glass' when referring to an insulating glass unit (IGU) fabricated with a spacer separating (usually) 2 pieces of glass. Within the hollow spacer is a desiccant which, after the two pieces of glass are sealed so they become a single unit, absorbs any moisture in the cavity between the pieces of glass. This keeps condensation from occurring within the cavity.

An IGU fabricated with 2 lites of single strength glass allows about 70% of visible light to pass when the light source (sun) is 90* to the glass surface. Any of the optional light absorbing tints or light reflective pyrolytic coatings further limit light transmission as do any heat reflective (low emissivity) coatings.

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Comments (7)

iochroma
3 years ago
Is there any chance they were hit by direct sun?
HU-955880698
Original Author
3 years ago
Only through a thick piece of glass.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years ago
Image isn't very clear, so hard to say what the cause is. When did you last fertilize. Typically, if you're flushing the soil as you water, you should be fertilizing about every 3rd-4th time you water in summer and every 4th or 5th time in winter.

Al
HU-955880698 thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
iochroma
3 years ago
I guess I don’t know what is meant by ”thick glass”. Sun can burn though many kinds of glass; sometimes sunburn is simply that the leaf temperature becomes too high.

In any case, I have seen this on ’Neon’ pothos frequently, and usually on the leaves closest to the sun. It’s unsightly but not a problem.
HU-955880698
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks everyone.

To answer some of the questions asked:

By "thick glass" I mean about 1/4", or just a bit less. The glass i am using was formerly a table top, and looking edge-on it is green, which as I understand it, means it contains iron, intended to block UV, so "sun burn" in the sense of UV exposure, shouldn't be a problem.

I have watered this pot 3 times - bout every 15 days - and fertilized once with a diltuted solution of 'Miracle-Gro general purpose plant food, about 1/2 strength.

If white spots increase in number, I will try reducing the sun exposure .
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
"if you're flushing the soil as you water, you should be fertilizing about every 3rd-4th time you water in summer and every 4th or 5th time in winter."

When fertilizing, are you (Tapla) referring to the use of the maintenance dose of Foliage Pro?

(I have questions regarding 511, if anyone wants to venture over to the Container Forum and help me out!)