Pests and diseases endanger the loquat and cause the leaves to change color. It's not just faulty maintenance measures that are responsible for these damage patterns.
Why does my loquat have brown leaves?
Brown leaves on a loquat can be caused by frost damage, parasitic infestation such as aphids and black weevils, or leaf browning due to fungal infestation. These pests and diseases cause spotting and discoloration of leaves.
These are causes:
- Frost Damage
- Parasite infestation
- Leaf Tan
Frost Damage
In winter, loquats often develop patchy leaf discoloration when the ground is frozen down to the deepest layers and the direct winter sun removes moisture from the leaves. In frozen ground, the roots cannot absorb water, which causes the leaves to develop spots.
Parasite infestation
Aphids feed on plant sap. While they suck the juice from the leaf webs with their trunk, they inject their saliva. This causes brown spots. The black weevil eats the leaf mass, which initially leads to discoloration of the leaves and ultimately to their death.
Leaf Tan
The spores of various fungi attack the young leaves in windy and rainy weather and initially cause the leaves to become spotty. If the infestation is severe, the spots turn red, brown or black and spread across the leaves.
