| Disease |
Symptoms |
Pathogen/Cause |
Management |
Bacterial Blight
Asplenium,
Bird's-Nest Fern |
Translucent spots develop all over the leaves,
enlarge quickly,
and turn reddish-brown with purple halos. |
Pseudomonas cichorii
or P. gladioli |
Purchase plants free of the disease. Avoid overhead
watering. Discard infected plants. |
Graying
Nephrolepsis,
Boston Fern |
Leaves have a gray color and plants have few
runners. |
Drought |
Maintain even soil moisture at all times. Examine
roots for nematode and root rot symptoms. |
Foliar Nematode
Asplenium |
Small, dark-green spots form at the base of fronds.
Spots turn brown to black as they enlarge. |
Aphelenchoides fragariae |
Discard infected plants. Avoid wetting the fronds
when watering. |
Frond Lobing
Asplenium |
Fronds have many lobes and indentations. Frond
tips may be crinkled or dead. |
Over fertilization |
Reduce the amount of fertilizer being used and
leach the pots. |
| Leaf Tip Burn |
Tips of fronds and leaflets brown and die. |
Over fertilization |
Reduce the amount of fertilizer being used and
leach the pots. |
| Nematodes |
Foliage grays, wilts, and dies. Roots are rotted. |
Pratylenchus
spp. |
Pot in pasteurized potting mix. Discard infected
plants. |
| Pythium Root Rot |
Plants have a gray color or are yellowed, stunted,
and wilted. Roots are brown and rotted. |
Pythium spp. |
Plant in pathogen-free pasteurized potting mix.
Apply etridiazole + thiophanate methyl, fosetyl-Al, or propamocarb
to protect plants. |
| Rhizoctonia Blight |
Brown, irregularly shaped spots form on the foliage
close to the crown or sometimes at the top. Spots spread very
rapidly. Webbing of the fungus forms from frond to frond. |
Rhizoctonia solani |
Plant in pathogen-free pasteurized potting mix.
Apply chlorothalonil, fludioxonil, flutolanil, or mancozeb as
a spray. |
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