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Rust: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Garden Diseases | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Rust Plant Disease

Fungal rust disease infiltrates these spinach leaves.

Photo Credit
Rust photo by Howard F. Schwartz via Wikimedia Commons
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How to Identify and Control Rust Plant Disease

Catherine Boeckmann
September 11, 2023
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Pest Type
Plant Diseases

What is rust plant disease? This fungal disease looks like you have rust on your plants and affects a wide range of woody and herbaceous flowers and vegetables. Even though it rarely kills plants, it reduces their health, vigor, and flower production.

What Causes Rust?

Rust disease is caused by a fungal parasite that needs living plants to survive. Rust diseases occur most often in mild, moist conditions. Rust is spread by spores that are transferred from infected plants to healthy plants. These spores can be transferred by wind or water, which is why rust disease often spreads after watering. Wet surfaces are also needed to cause infections.

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Identification

How to Identify Rust Damage

Rust diseases come in different varieties and can affect a wide range of plants. People often struggle with rust on their roses. It is easy to remember the defining characteristics of this fungus as they match its name. Rust plant disease will look similar to the rust that appears on that old bicycle in the shed.

  • Look for yellow or white spots forming on the upper leaves of a plant.
  • Look for reddish to orange blister-like swellings called pustules on the undersides of leaves.
  • Orange or yellow spots or streaks appear on the undersides of the leaves.
  • Within these spots that form are spores.
  • Usually, leaf distortion and defoliation occur.
rust plant disease on a leaf
Small pustules appear on the undersides, and sometimes the tops, of leaves when a plant is infected with rust.
Photo Credit: Bruce Watt, University of Maine. 

 

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Control and Prevention

How to Control Rust Fungi

Unfortunately, there is no easy treatment for rust. Try these tips:

  • Remove all infected parts and destroy them. For bramble fruits, remove and destroy all the infected plants and replant the area with resistant varieties.
  • Clean away all debris in between plants to prevent rust from spreading.
  • Avoid splashing water onto the leaves, as this can help spread rust.

Rust Prevention

  • Dust your plants with sulfur early in the season to prevent infection or to keep mild infections from spreading.
  • Space your plants properly to encourage good air circulation.
  • Avoid wetting the leaves when watering plants.
  • There are many effective rust fungicides you can try. Ask your local nursery for which products you should use.
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Comments

Jo Turner (not verified)

2 years 1 month ago

I have some of the same questions that were already asked, has anyone answered them? I don't see any answers.

Praveen Mahanta (not verified)

3 years 1 month ago

I had some useful plants at the corner of my greenhouse and I found rust appearing on the leaves. These are really unstoppable and damaged almost all leaves within 2 months. New leaves also shown some sign of new rust. Later, as the plants are at the corner of my greenhouse some leaves grown outside the greenhouse and surprisingly they are healthy. I moved all the plants to sun, removed the damaged leaves and later 1 month all are with new rust-free

Amanda (not verified)

3 years 10 months ago

Hello,
I've been trying to find on Google phrased Various different ways..
Is Mallow rust (or any of these rusts) safe to consume? I just learnt a neat Mallow recipe I wanted to try but they've gotten rusty the past couple weeks

Linda Bromley (not verified)

4 years 1 month ago

I have 4 plants and they all look like they are burning up..all the leaves have dark brown edges that eventually take over the whole leaf..I spray with a fungicide about every 2 weeks but nothing seems to be working..any advice would be much appreciated.

Sharyn G Schmitt (not verified)

1 year 4 months ago

Looks like rust on rose bushes, azaleas and other small plants

Quinter (not verified)

1 year 8 months ago

Try adjusting the quantity of light. If indoors take them out if outside place a cloth on top as covering you can use a mosquito net.
Try also watering using pipes to avoid splashing fungi from the soil to the plant leaves.
Try mulching with wood ash or dry grass.

Kathy Ketchum (not verified)

4 years 4 months ago

I have 2 grape vines and they already have like rust spots on the leaves and they are curling up. The grapes are dying as well. The canes look really dry and a few of the little branches I have snapped off , they were dead. Somebody help. I live in New Bern,NC

JohnnyChew (not verified)

4 years 6 months ago

How to clear the flower leaf RUST FUNGI...

Lou (not verified)

5 years ago

Should the soil be replaced in the planters that had rust?

Lou-

Yes, we recommend replacing the soil to prevent to spread of the spores.