9 Common Fig Tree Diseases (With Pictures)

Fig trees can provide you with very tasty fruits. This was the reason for the great popularity of these trees. However, like all living organisms, they can get sick and that is what you will learn about in this article.

Disease	Symptoms	Treatment
Anthracnose	Small brown spots on the leaves.	Spray the fig tree with copper fungicide.
Leaf spot	Brown spots on the leaves.	Spray the fig tree with copper fungicide.
Powdery mildew	White powder on the leaves.	Spray the leaves with horticultural oil.
Fig rust	Small angular spots appear on the leaves.	Spray the fig tree with copper fungicide.
Fig Mosaic Virus	Yellow or light green spots on leaves.	The disease is not treatable.
Endosepsis	The fruit looks discolored.	Remove fruit that looks rotten.
Aspergillus	The fruit looks unhealthy in appearance.	Remove fruit that looks rotten.
Canker	Cracks and growths on the trunk and branches.	Сut the branch with the canker a little closer to the trunk.
Leaf Blight	Yellow, brown, or gray areas on the leaves.	Remove infested leaves.

Anthracnose

Anthracnose is a very common fungal disease. It is caused by several types of pathogens that settle on the leaves.

The disease is usually most active in wet and warm weather. Also, poor air exchange in the garden contributes to the development of this disease.

Symptoms:

• Yellow spots on leaves quickly turn brown.
• Yellowing of the leaf due to a large number of spots.
• Withering and dropping of leaves.

Treatment:

1. Remove leaves that have yellowed.
2. Spray the fig tree with copper fungicide.
3. Improve air exchange in the garden.

Leaf spot

Leaf spot is another disease that affects fig leaves. It is very similar to anthracnose and easily confused. This is not surprising since they are both fungal in origin.

In most cases, the Leaf spot occurs during long rains or due to overwatering. The pathogens of this disease are in the top layer of soil and become active during warm weather.

Symptoms:

• Large brown spots on irregularly shaped leaves.
• Part of the leaf may turn brown while the other part may remain green.
• Leaves droop and fall off before the end of the season.

Treatment:

1. Remove dead and severely diseased leaves.
2. Spray the fig tree with a multi-purpose fungicide. Repeat the spraying with copper fungicide two weeks later.
3. Avoid overwatering the fig tree. Also, avoid watering over the leaves.
4. Improve air movement around the fig tree.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects many plants. Unfortunately, the fig tree is also a frequent victim of this disease.

Powdery mildew spores are usually present in plant debris that accumulates in the garden. When summer comes, the wind moves the spores onto the leaves and the disease slowly destroys the plant.

Symptoms:

• A white substance appears on the leaves that look like white powder.
• The leaf may turn pale or even black.
• Sick leaves droop and die off.

Treatment:

1. Remove leaves that show white signs of disease.
2. Spray the fig tree with neem oil. Repeat the spraying after a month.
3. Avoid planting figs in wet areas.
4. Avoid fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizer in the summer.
5. Keep the garden free of plant debris.

Fig rust

Rust is probably one of the most common diseases of the fig tree. The fungus spores get on the leaves at the beginning of the season and already after a month or two, there are traces on the leaves.

Over time, the entire leaf becomes covered with spots. The tree sheds badly damaged leaves.

Symptoms:

• Small angular spots appear on the leaves. Their color is red-brown and resembles rust.
• The number of spots increases with time. On the opposite side of the leaf, brown blisters appear from which spores will eventually emerge.

Treatment:

1. Remove leaves that are completely covered with rust.
2. Spray the fig tree with copper fungicide. Repeat the spraying after a few weeks.
3. Ensure good ventilation around the fig tree.
4. Provide well-drained soil.
5. At the end of the season, discard the fallen leaves as far away from the yard as possible.

Fig Mosaic Virus

Fig Mosaic Virus is a viral disease that affects a significant number of trees each year. Fig Mosaic Virus is usually spread by insects that feed on the sap of the leaves. For example, it can be thrips or mites.

The disease is not treatable. There are no chemical treatments available at the moment. However, trees infected with Fig Mosaic Virus do not die and continue to bear fruit.

Symptoms:

• Yellow or light green spots on leaves.
• The spots create a sort of pattern on the leaf.
• The tree is slightly stunted.

Treatment:

1. To prevent Fig Mosaic Virus, keep the garden free of pests. This is especially true of sucking pests (mites, thrips, scale, etc.).
2. If your fig tree has this disease, give it a little more light and fertilizer. The virus will not destroy the fig tree and it will live on for a long time.

Endosepsis

Endosepsis is a fungal disease spread by wasps. Fig trees are usually pollinated by wasps, but some wasps can be carriers of Endosepsis pathogens.

Fruit will suffer as a result of infection. They become inedible and watery in appearance.

Symptoms:

• The fruit looks discolored.
• As the fruit ripens, it becomes watery.

Treatment:

1. There are no chemical treatments for this disease.
2. Examine all fruit and remove the ones that look rotten.

Aspergillus

Aspergillus also affects the fig tree fruit like the previous disease. It usually occurs in very humid summers. In addition, the tree can fall ill even if it is growing indoors.

The spores of this rot are spread by the wind and can go anywhere. Affected fruit rots from the inside and changes its color.

Symptoms:

• The fruit looks unhealthy in appearance. They turn pale or even brown.
• The inside of the fruit turns white and looks unhealthy.

Treatment:

1. There is no point in spraying the fruit with fungicide as it will become unfit for consumption.
2. Remove the infested fruit from the tree.
3. Provide good ventilation around the fig tree and reduce humidity.

Canker

Canker is a fungal disease that affects the bark of the fig tree. The spores of this pathogen penetrate through wounds in the tree and infect the entire free space.

This disease is not capable of damaging the bark. Therefore, infection occurs due to mechanical damage to the tree or after pruning. It can also be caused by bark cracking in winter.

Symptoms:

• The wound in the fig tree may turn black. It will also not heal but will crack even more.
• Large growths appear in places where Canker is present.

Treatment:

1. If there is a wound on the tree, treat it with a multi-purpose fungicide while it is still fresh.
2. Always use a sterile tool when pruning the fig tree.
3. If there is Canker on the branch, cut the branch a little closer to the trunk.

Leaf Blight

Leaf Blight is a disease that destroys the leaves of the fig tree. The spores are usually found in plant debris that is not cleaned up. In warm weather, the spores get on the leaves and begin to destroy them.

As a result, the tree stops growing and bearing fruit. If the infestation is widespread, the tree can die.

Symptoms:

• Yellow, brown, or gray areas on the leaves.
• Over time, the leaves become watery and die.

Treatment:

1. Remove infested leaves.
2. Spray the fig tree with a multi-purpose fungicide.
3. Keep the garden clear of plant debris.
4. Avoid keeping the fig tree in a wet area.

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