d nettle. If the soil is extremely heavy, you should consider replacing it with commercial garden soil. Water the soil so it says slightly moist but not saturated.
Leaf spot is a fungal disease that can spread using rain or wind, and this makes it much more likely to develop during humid and hot conditions. Brown or yellow brown spots will appear on the leaves first before slowly starting to expand, and then black spots will quickly follow. Remove the infected leaves and spray the plant with a fungicide. Plant your dead nettle in a well-ventilated place with partial shade, and space the planets slightly farther apart than six inches. Make sure you prune them regularly, especially before the winter months.
This is a fungal disease that is very common during the wet, warm season. When it comes on your plants, you’ll see a white powder on the stems and leaves. You should remove and burn any infected parts of the plant as soon as you notice this coating. If it’s severe, you’ll need to spray with a fungicide, and pruning between the plants can encourage air circulation to make it less likely this disease will occur.
Reasons Dead Nettle Leaves Turns Yellow
There are several reasons why your dead nettle leaves can turn yellow, but the most popular ones include:
- Infections – Diseases and pests can cause withering and yellowing leaves. You should look at the plant to figure out which disease or pest is causing it and spray it with the correct chemicals to treat it.
- Insufficient Water – Most dead nettles need a moist growing environment, and the leaves will turn yellow from not enough water. Water the plant when the soil dries out, or consider misting the leaves to help increase the relative humidity.
- Over Watering or Over Fertilizing – Both of these things can lead to root rot, and this causes your dead nettle to not absorb nutrients correctly, and this can lead to leaf yellowing. You can cut off the rotten roots and disinfect the remaining roots before replanting.
- Too Much Sun – This plant prefers shade, and too much light can cause the leaves to lose their shine, curl up, and turn yellow. Keep it out of direct sunlight during the summer, give it shade, and transplant it in a well-ventilated, cool space.
Dead nettle can be a nice ground cover if you maintain it and prune it. It can produce flowers in the spring and summer months, but it’s usually prized for the foliage. Whatever you choose to use it for, you’ll get a thick ground cover that fills in your bare spots in your yard to make it look lush and healthy.
Jen is a master gardener, interior designer and home improvement expert. She has completed many home improvement, decor and remodeling projects with her family over the past 10 years on their 4,500 sf Victorian house. She is also a passionate farmer who keeps goats, chickens, turkeys cows and pigs on her farm, and an instructor for her community’s Organic and Sustainable Farming project.