Diviners Sage Turning Black
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Angela Yorton
Posted on: August 15, 2001

Help! I purchased several diviners sage plants from you a while back, and while two out of the six survived, only one really flourished, and the other is merely hanging on...no growth, and now the leaves on the edges are turning black, some crispy, some mushy...the big one has developed a thin brown patch on the top of it’s leaves, and feels somewhat papery. I water everyday in the morning, and they sit in window boxes, in full shade (with a lot of "glare" from the sun ). I am using a mixture of humus, potting soil, perlite, and sphagnum peat moss. I live in Florida, USA, the Tampa Bay area. What’s going on with these guys?!

This sounds like black rot. Cut off all affected parts and make sure to only wet the soil, not the plant when you water in the morning. Shade the plant a bit more and ensure there is good air circulation. Spraying the plant with a flower of sulphur suspension, neem oil or cinnamite solution may help too. If you have none of these, dampen the plant and sprinkle powdered cinnamon all over it. Cinnamon oil is a good fungicide - amongst other things!

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