Hellebore Feotidisima sooty mould ...
United Kingdom 
Hi There, I have a Hellebore Feotidisima which is about a year old. It is doing very nicely and I think pretty happy. But I have noticed recently some grubby, rather 'sooty' looking markings on it. I have also observed a mild infestation of aphids. So I reckon this is 'sooty mould' fungus and not the 'blackspot fungus'. Can anyone tell me whether it is potentially harmful to the plant, and whether there is anything I need to do to treat it? Or should I just leave it? I have a feeling this problem is more common on this hellebore variety that on other varieties.
Best wishes, Jonathan H.
24 Mar, 2009
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First off, Jonathan, you'll have to get rid of the aphids. Otherwise, the sooty mould will just keep coming back. Once the insects are gone then you should be able to wipe the mould off the leaves with some water....you can even use some soapy water which will also help to get rid of any stray aphids. It shouldn't harm the plant except to cut down on the area available for photosynthesis. If the mould is just on a bit of the plant I would probably leave it. If it covers a substantial portion then I would try to remove it. Keep checking the plant every so often for more aphids and treat accordingly. :o)
25 Mar, 2009