Anthracnose and its close relatives, leaf spot and black spot, all start the same simple way: small, isolated spots on the leaf surface before the infection spreads further.

What's the Earliest Sign of Anthracnose?

Small light brown spots of dead tissue appear on leaves and blossoms, typically in late spring and summer. Anthracnose can also develop into a more damaging canker form that spreads into a tree's vascular system, but the leaf-spot stage is almost always the first thing to show up.

What's the Earliest Sign of Leaf Spot?

Leaf spots show up as small brown or black spots on the top of the leaf, often scattered rather than concentrated in one area. It's easy to mistake for early anthracnose at a glance, since both start as small discolored marks on otherwise healthy foliage.

What's the Earliest Sign of Black Spot?

Black spots begin as small black circular spots, generally a quarter inch to an inch across, that expand and cause yellowing and premature leaf drop as the infection progresses. The circular, dark shape is the clearest way to tell it apart from anthracnose's lighter brown spotting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can anthracnose, leaf spot, and black spot be treated with the same product?

Yes, in many cases. Spraying Liquid Copper Fungicide Spray onto affected foliage to the point of runoff controls both anthracnose and black spot.

Is one of these three diseases more serious than the others?

Anthracnose carries the most risk, since its canker form can damage a tree's vascular system rather than staying limited to the leaves the way leaf spot and black spot typically do.

Do all three diseases spread the same way?

Generally, yes. Each spreads through spores that need wet conditions to land and establish on new leaf tissue, which is why all three tend to show up during the same wet spring and summer stretch.