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My rubber tree has started to exhibit these weird spots under the leaves, it started maybe three months ago, but it took me a while to notice them really. They seem to be spreading from leaf to leaf and are dry, hard and even a little three dimensional. I've tried to find info online but nothing seemed to really fit.

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I love my rubber tree and don't want it to die, please help me identify what's going on.

biscuitrapist
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    Is my assumption that you've had this plant for a long time correct? Has it been outdoors for the summer? Did you bring any new plants into your house? Did you bring existing plants that had been summering outdoors back into the house? Have lighting conditions changed. – Jurp Nov 09 '22 at 12:56
  • I've had this plant for two years now. It has always been indoors, but I moved 5 months ago. It had been standing in a place with more light before, now it's close to the windows but without direct sunlight, [see here](https://imgur.com/31Jw5xA). In order to move it I transported it in the back of a car. I have one relatively new aloe vera in the same room, but the problem existed before as far as I remember. – biscuitrapist Nov 09 '22 at 13:18
  • Thanks. Trying to rule out diseases brought in from a store or pests brought in with new or outdoors plants. Looks like we can do that. The spots resemble large scale insects, but I've never seen any that large. Personally, I'd remove all leaves that are spotted, if that doesn't completely defoliate your tree. I also recommend waiting for other posters to comment or answer here, because I could be very wrong about that. – Jurp Nov 09 '22 at 13:52
  • appreciate your honesty :D I do not think it's insects. The spots are fused into the leaves and there is no way to get them off. – biscuitrapist Nov 09 '22 at 14:15
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    I own the same species and have been in the hort trade for years, and haven't seen anything like your plant's problem. Very puzzling, as Ficus are usually trouble-free unless over-watered. – Jurp Nov 09 '22 at 14:18
  • I thought it was weird, I didn't find anything similar online. I don't think I overwatered it but will check the roots on the weekend and repot it, I suspect it might need a bigger pot. – biscuitrapist Nov 09 '22 at 14:25

1 Answers1

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This is a fungus/virus/bacteria that is commonly seen in ficus and dracaena when they have been overwatered. Too much water or not enough porosity in the soil creates an anerobic environment where this flourishes. Here is your ID checklist

  • symptoms cannot be removed with a cloth so they cannot be insects
  • spots usually appear on older leaves
  • spots follow a growth pattern:
    • Initial spot starts brown and change to dry, dead black tissue
    • there is a ring around the initial spot where it starts to grow that is typically light brown and changes to black over time

Chemical treatments are not usually available to the homeowner but there is good news!

Most plants can outgrow this problem if you change the initial causes:

  • Provide more light and less water
  • consider repotting: most soil less mixes will compact over time as the peat moss is used by the roots. No need for a bigger pot, just take the root ball out and cut off the bottom 25%. Place fresh soil less mix in the bottom of the pot and replace the trimmed root ball.
  • wait until new growth is seen before fertilizing lightly or wait until spring
kevinskio
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  • This is amazing, thank you so much. To be honest, I searched though this StackExchange and was kind of hoping you would answer my question, and this is everything I could have wanted. One follow up question: What exactly is soil less mix? I am having a hard time translating it into the stuff available in my country. – biscuitrapist Nov 11 '22 at 18:31
  • @Kaesebohrer A soil less mix is what greenhouse growers use. It is commonly made of sphagnum peat moss, perlite and vermiculite with a slow release fertilizer. Most plant stores will have something like it called potting soil. – kevinskio Nov 11 '22 at 19:47
  • As for potting soil, if you can't find what Kevinskio suggested, look for a cactus mix - you want something that drains well. – Jurp Nov 12 '22 at 14:32
  • @kevinskio - do you have a name for that fungus/virus/bacteria? – Jurp Nov 12 '22 at 14:32
  • @Jurp. I don't have a name. I think you need a tissue sample and a lab – kevinskio Nov 12 '22 at 21:55
  • @kevinskio No problem; thought you might know a name. Any thoughts on whether the poster should remove the infected leaves? – Jurp Nov 13 '22 at 15:05
  • @Jurp my theory is the damage is done for the dead spots on the leaves but the rest of the leaf can still fuel new growth if the underlying conditions are changed – kevinskio Nov 13 '22 at 15:21
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    @kevinskio Ah, unsightly, but not fatal for the leaves... I was afraid of possible infection to the other leaves on the plant; if it were a fungus (I think bacteria or virus is more likely), then I'd also be concerned about the fungus creating spores and infecting the rest of the plant. – Jurp Nov 13 '22 at 15:35