How To Get Rid Of Rust On Your Plants

You have problems with plant rust in your garden and want to get information on how to get rid of rust in a proper but yet economic manner?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you how to control rust in the following chapters.

Leaf Rust Overview

Short description	Plant rust is quite common on garden plants and is caused by fungi that infest many different plant species.
Scientific name	P. triticina.
Lifespan	Many months if you don’t treat leaf rust properly.
What plants are vulnerable?	Roses, lilies, tomatoes, corn and beans are known to be quite vulnerable to plant rust.
Symptoms	You will see red, orange or brown spots on the underside of the leaves of your plants.
Distribution	Worldwide.
Potential damage	If not treated properly, leaf rust can inhibit the growth of your plants and in rare cases, your plants may even decay if infestation is too severe.
Control options	Chemical, biological and cultural.
Treatment difficulty	Intermediate.

How to prevent & control Leaf Rust

Remove plant material infected with rust

First of all, it is important that you remove plant material that is infested with rust so that it will not be able to spread to other plants in your garden.

Just prune your plants accordingly and get rid of the plant material.

Also don’t dispose of it in your compost to avoid any future rust infestations.

Vinegar can help to get rid of leaf rust

Vinegar can be a cheap but yet effective substance to get rid of leaf rust.

Just spray a solution of vinegar and water onto the leaves of your plants and wait a few days.

If you see some results but are not entirely happy with it, repeat the process until you get rid of rust in a satisfying manner.

Try stinging nettle liquid to control leaf rust

If you don’t want to rely on substances from the store, you could also just make your own natural pesticides or fungicide by just collecting some stinging nettles, putting them in a bucket full of cold water and waiting for a few days.

After removing the plant material, you will have a perfectly natural pesticide that can help you get rid of rust on your plants and can also serve as natural fertilizer at the same time.

Baking soda as secret measure to control rust

You can also try baking soda to control rust on the leaves of your plants.

Just make a solution of baking soda and water and spray it onto the infested plants.

After a few days, you should see some progress.

However, don’t expect it to be a fast solution to solve the problem.

If you want to get rid of rust on a long-term basis, you will also have to regularly apply this method.

Horticultural soap can help to get rid of rust as well

Horticultural soap can be great to get rid of leaf rust and also to treat various other pest infestations in your garden.

Even though it is often not entirely natural, it can still help you get rid of rust on your garden plants pretty quickly.

Use sulfur-based substances to prevent the formation of rust

You can also get some sulfur-based substances from the garden center or from the internet that are great to keep away rust from your plants.

However, these substances are often not good for our environment and may also decrease the quality of your garden soil in the long run.

Hence, make sure to try natural alternatives first before relying on sulfur-based products to deter rust.

Use chemical fungicides to get rid of rust in your garden

If you have tried several natural ways to get rid of leaf rust but nothing seemed to work, you may also just want to try chemical fungicides to get rid of plant rust.

However, keep in mind that those substances are not good for our planet at all and that you may do more harm than good to your plants.

Thus, make sure to only apply chemical fungicides carefully and don’t use them just for fun.

Keep your garden tidy to avoid the spread of plant rust

While all the measures mentioned before can help you to get rid of rust in your garden, there are also some things you can do to prevent the formation of rust in the first place.

For instance, it is important that you clean your garden on a regular basis to keep it tidy so that rust will not be able to spread easily through your garden.

Fertilize your plants to prevent leaf rust

It is also important to provide enough nutrients to your plants to assure healthy growth so that your plants can grow big fast and will become less vulnerable to pests and plant diseases soon.

Apart from using high-quality soil, you could also add some fertilizer so that your plants get even more nutrients and can grow in a perfect manner.

Make sure to provide enough space to your plants

It is also crucial that you provide your plants with enough space.

Only then will they be able to get enough nutrients and natural sunlight and will not have to compete with other plants that may take away some of those precious things from them.

Moreover, there are also plants that don’t grow well with each other and you should therefore make sure to also get some knowledge in this regard.

Air should be able to circulate well

Since plant rust is caused by a fungus, you should also make sure that air can circulate well so that rust and other fungus-related plant diseases will have a hard time to grow.

Hence, make sure to provide enough space to your plants and you may also want to install a fan if you grow plants indoors to assure proper air circulation.

Use the best soil depending on the individual plant

To provide your plants with the optimal growth conditions, you should also make sure to adjust the soil mix according to the individual preferences of your plants.

Only then will your plants grow in a perfect manner and will become less vulnerable to rust infestations.

Choose a perfect location for your plants to keep away rust

It is also important that you choose a perfect location for your plants so that they feel well in your garden and will grow in a decent manner.

For instance, if you grow plants that love the sun, make sure that you provide them with a sunny spot in your garden since they would become quite vulnerable to fungus-related plant diseases otherwise.

Avoid growing plants that are vulnerable to leaf rust

To avoid the spread of leaf rust in your garden, you should also grow plants that are not vulnerable to plant rust at all.

With a healthy mix of garden plants, rust will have a hard time to spread and you can assure the long-term health of your garden.

Diversify your gardening project

You should also diversify your gardening projects by growing multiple different sorts of plants so that in case one plant species gets hit by rust or other plant diseases, you will still have many healthy ones left to harvest.

What’s left to say?

Now that you know how to get rid of rust on your plants in a proper manner, also make sure to check out my grower’s guides and my companion plant articles to get even more information about growing plants at home in general.

About the Author

My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.

In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.