Topics

fig leaf disease or FMV?

These leaves came out several weeks a looking nice dark green, in full sun.  Now they have developed these yellowish spots.  Another plant of the same variety, Salce, looks similar, while the rest of my figs look pretty normal(a little FMV evident on some).  Is this just a variety of FMV? diseased fig leaf.JPG


As far as I have seen, FMV is there as the leaf develops and grows. Usually doesn't come in on a perfectly normal looking grown out leaf. I don't know, we don't really get much for rust here, but that looks like to rust to me. I could be wrong though.

Ed it could be from all the rain we've had lately. Between the humidity and the rains it can cause spotting on the leaves.

OTOH, it can't hurt to give a little fertilizer with trace elements, especially iron.

Hi eebone,
Did someone sprinkle something around ? weeding chemicals ?

The pot looks a bit small for those big leaves, and that plant could be missing some nutrients.
Are you fertilizing that tree ? enough ?
You probably have milk at home, so I would try half a cup of milk in the pot. Since I do that, my seedlings are showing better leaves.
I would pot up with compost to try to help a bit .
Hard to tell, but could that be a start of some rust ?
Could you make a pic of the underside of a leaf ?


Ed,
I would have to agree with the previous posts, nutrient deficiency. Micro nutrient deficiency with Magnesium and Iron as my first and second guess. There are brown spots which could be rust but may also be leaf necrosis due to deficiency. Watering and spraying the leaves with 1 teaspoon MG All Purpose fertilizer / 1 gallon water with 1/4 teaspoon Epsom Salt may rejuvenate the old and new leaves
Good Luck.
plant_deficiency_symptoms_L.png .


Thanks all for the input.  We have had an awful lot of rain for the last month, which could wash out the nutrients, or could lead to rust.  My plants are in a 5:1:1:1 mix with a cup of Espoma PlantTone and a cup of dolomitic limestone per 5g mix, and I use a dilute MG watering weekly.  These plants were up-potted to #1 pots about the beginning of May.  No weeding chemicals used in this yard. 

It is just odd that only the Salce figs and one or 2 others look like this.

As requested, here is a photo of the underside of one of the leaves.

underside of Salce leaf.JPG 


What would you advise as far as another source of iron?


  Ed...as far as another source of iron, I have been using Espoma Irontone for the last couple of seasons...it works great, and greens everything up within a week or two...I purchase it on line, but I'm sure it is available at most nursery supply houses.

1922613.png 


No fig on this earth is immune to FMV,  but the tree will bear.  Get over it.

Alma is immune Suzi...

I have an Alma and she has it, but she has figs.  No worries!!  She is not immune, but FMV does not do one thing except make the leaves ugly.  Fruit is always spectacular.

Two exclamation points. Wow, you mean business. I smell a marketing job ; )

Pics or it didn't happen

So Suzi, are you saying that you believe the leaf discoloration is just FMV, and NOT a result of nutritional deficit or rust or excess rain?

What's a poor rookie to think when experienced growers disagree? :)

I'll be sure to report in a month or so with a follow up report with pics.

Hi Eebone,
From the under-side, I'll call that rust .
IMO: I would try some "Bouillie bordelaise / Copper sulfate " . It is a blue powder/liquid that you spray on the trees against those types of (fungus) diseases .
That product was/is often used in vineyards. You should ( here at least ) find that in every nursery .
You could as well, do nothing and let the tree bounce back - while helping it with fertilizer and perhaps a bit more sun - if the tree is for now in a shady and humid spot ...

I was worried about FMV a few weeks ago as I have a few cuttings that were looking like this, but then I realized it was after a long stretch of rain that it showed up. Now the rains have stopped (for the most part) and I am giving lots of MG. The leaves have returned to normal. So at least in my similar looking case, it was some deficiency not FMV.

Reply Cancel
Subscribe Share Cancel