Spots on the leaf

LeoZuev

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Colleagues, I need help with a diagnosis!

I decided to grow a tobacco plant on my balcony as an experiment. The seedlings were grown under LED lights in a thermal box where I previously fermented tobacco (stable humidity and temperature). I selected the strongest plant and transplanted it into a 1.5 L pot.
While it was still in the small pot, in the box, dark spots appeared on one lower leaf. They turned yellow and dried out. I removed the leaf and, after 2–3 days, transplanted the plant into a 20 L pot (store-bought soil + perlite + vermiculite). It stands about one meter from a window, south side, with almost no direct sunlight and no drafts.
Watering is moderate — about 150 ml, only at the root. Even right after transplanting I did not overwater. In total, I watered it about three times. The soil is moderately moist, not waterlogged; the edges look a bit dry.
But the spots keep appearing. Here’s what I’ve already tried:
  • Fundazol (market advice: “fungus”) → overnight it spread across the whole leaf, so I removed it (you can see it in the photo, separated)
  • Bordeaux mixture (ChatGPT suggested “bacterial leaf spot”) → but after a day, today, a new spot appeared on a lower leaf again
Under magnification I found no insects — only uniform greenish bumps (maybe just pores).

The last two days have been cloudy and rainy, but the balcony is dry — no dew. Nearby on the windowsill, “on the front line,” there are three small backup plants, and they are completely clean.

The bottles in the large pot are empty — just taking up volume because I didn’t have enough soil. I’ll remove them and add fresh soil once it settles.

❓ What could this be? A virus? A fungus that doesn’t respond to treatment? Or some kind of stress? The white spots are the result of treatment with a fungicide and Bordeaux mixture (1,5%).

Should I discard the sick plant and switch to a backup, or keep observing?


Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 

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deluxestogie

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The dark, indented areas on opposite sides of the leaf shown in photo_2026-05-17_09-37-47.jpg are most likely physical damage from the edge of the pot.

The fine, white spots may be weather fleck, caused by ozone and other pollutants in the air.


I would suggest simply observing.

Bob
 

LeoZuev

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The dark, indented areas on opposite sides of the leaf shown in photo_2026-05-17_09-37-47.jpg are most likely physical damage from the edge of the pot.

The fine, white spots may be weather fleck, caused by ozone and other pollutants in the air.


I would suggest simply observing.

Bob
Thank you! But with all due respect, I wrote that the white spots are dried-up residue from the products I used to treat the leaves—fungicide and Bordeaux mixture. And the leaves don’t reach the edge of the pot. I’m afraid it might be an infection. If it’s just stress, so be it, but I’ve already lost three leaves. For a single plant, that’s a bit alarming...
 

LeoZuev

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Some spots appeared overnight... I didn't water it or treat it with anything. The air temperature remained fairly stable... If it's the soil, why is only the bottom leaf damaged? I'm distraught
 

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Wombat_smokes

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I've seen similar spots on my plants. The plants were completely healthy. These spotted leaves were mostly hidden under other leaves.

Most likely, the indirect light doesn't allow these low, sacrificial leaves to yellow then brown. Plants like tobacco will shed young, early leaves as they grow their larger, "mature" leaves. Similar to how people have baby and adult teeth. If the top leaves remain healthy, there's nothing to worry about.

Also, tobacco is a full sun plant. This tends to mean they like 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Even shade grown varieties receive an equivalent of 4-6 hours of direct sunlight in the form of "dappled" sunlight. Often considered "partial shade" for shade tolerant garden plants.
 
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