A rapidly spreading plant disease that causes the sudden wilting, browning, blackening, and death of leaves, stems, shoots, or entire plants.
Blight is one of the fastest-moving plant diseases gardeners encounter. Unlike diseases that develop slowly over weeks, blight can cause healthy-looking plant tissue to wilt and die within days.
Blights may be caused by a fungal disease or bacterial disease. As the pathogen spreads through plant tissue, leaves and stems quickly darken, collapse, and die. Once affected, the damaged tissue cannot recover.
Because blight spreads rapidly, early detection is critical. Removing infected growth quickly often prevents the disease from spreading to healthy parts of the plant.
Blight can destroy large sections of a plant in a short period of time. In severe cases, entire branches or plants may be lost. Understanding the warning signs allows gardeners to act early through pruning, improved air circulation, and good sanitation practices before the disease becomes widespread.