Rant: It took me four hours to identify a simple leaf spot fungus

I was staring at my begonia for like three weeks trying to figure out why it kept getting these brown spots. Thought it was sunburn, then overwatering, then some kind of pest. Pulled out my phone, took a dozen photos, posted on three different plant ID groups. Turns out it was just Cercospora leaf spot. A basic fungus. Four hours of my life gone because I didnt check the underside of the leaves first. Has anyone else spent way too long diagnosing something that had a dead simple fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

leor372d ago

Did you check the leaves' underside first thing or what?

pat3602d ago

yeah "first thing" is key. i had the same issue with my peppers last summer and i kept checking the top of the leaves like an idiot. then i flipped one over and saw all these tiny little bugs just hanging out underneath. what worked for me was actually spraying the undersides with a mix of water and a tiny bit of dish soap every few days. it took about a week but they cleared up pretty good. also make sure you're not overwatering because that just makes the problem worse.