Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_40.gif)
Sunday - June 08, 2008
From: Alpine, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Black growth on sotol plants
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
My mature sotol plants have a black-like growth on the leaves. Is there any thing I can do to treat what looks like a disease on these plants?ANSWER:
There are three plants going by the common name sotol in our Native Plants Database. They are: Dasylirion wheeleri (common sotol), Dasylirion leiophyllum (green sotol, and Dasylirion texanum (Texas sotol) . It really doesn't matter which yours is, they are very similar in appearance and culture. One surprising fact; they are not members of any of the cacti or agave families, but of the Liliaceae, or Lily, Family. Furthermore, Alpine, Texas would seem to be an ideal environment for them to grow.
We found two good websites discussing these plants: Texas A&M Horticulture Desert Sotol and Greenbeam.com Dasylirion ssp. What we did NOT find was much of any suggestion of what would be causing the spots on your sotol leaves. However, we have had several inquiries about various succulents and desert plants being grown in gardens that involved similar spots. We have learned from various sources that there are fungi that will attack otherwise very healthy plants if the atmosphere is too humid, or the plants are too well fertilized and watered. The best therapy we can recommend is to cut out the involved leaves, and dispose of the cut leaves so there will be no opportunity to transmit the infection to anything else. Be sure that the drainage in your sotol bed is very good, that water never stands there, and that it is not watered from overhead, except by rain, which has been pretty rare this year. Especially cut out any leaves on the lower part of the plant that are affected, so they will not continue to transmit the problem upward from the soil. These plants are evolved, over millennia, to survive in very difficult circumstances-rocky soil, no shade and very little moisture. It appears that when things get a little too plush for these plants, the very opportunistic fungi will leap in to share the wealth.
More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Control of live oak suckers by cutting
July 23, 2007 - How do I control the Live Oak root suckers? At the moment we are cutting them as they come out of the ground.
view the full question and answer
Why are my Junipers turning brown in San Antonio?
May 11, 2009 - My Texas mountain cedars (junipers, I know) are turning brown, limb by limb. What is the problem and how do I save what looks like a dying tree.
view the full question and answer
Recently planted Monterey Oaks doing poorly in Jourdanton, TX.
September 02, 2013 - We planted 2 nice size Monterrey oak trees in April .they were doing good with new growth on them. But now I have been noticing the leaves are turning brown around the edges. We water about once a wee...
view the full question and answer
Growth on miniature palm in Los Gatos. CA
October 01, 2009 - I think that my miniature palm is infested with some sort of bug or fungus. Last night it looked fine but this morning there was a large bright yellow fuzzy looking growth on the trunk. Any input wo...
view the full question and answer
Desert Willow and Orchid tree with no upper leaves from Kerrville TX
May 30, 2013 - I have two 5 year old Desert Willows planted in my yard. This year only one has leaved out and blooming. The other is bare but the branches are not dead and it has new growth at the bottom. Do you kno...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |