The first main task in dealing with the mould is to get rid of the insects that are creating the sap secretions. Most common in citrus trees, black sooty mould is as it sounds. Also called Citrus blast or black pit on lemons, dead leaves and twigs are often present when the cause was infection by this bacterium. ... How To Get Rid Of Black Sooty Mold. Rind disorder Identification tip: Brown, water-soaked blotches or dark, sunken areas develop on the rind after rainy weather and as fruit matures and turns orange. Although sooty molds are not particularly harmful, treatment may be necessary to preserve fruit. You can remove melanose with the fingernail; melanose does not extend into the fruit itself. Insect infested fruit trees and fruit trees in close proximity to lindens and pines are most commonly affected. Although melanose generally appears as a collection of dark brown to black spots, in some places, the mold appears as a whitish color. Melanose, a type of fungus, affects the surface of citrus fruits without damaging the meat of the fruit. Cracks in the stylar end of the fruit, or the bellybutton of the fruit, allow the fungus to enter and infect the fruit. Infected fruit will change color prematurely and may drop early from the tree. A horrible black, sooty like mould that coats the leaves and branches of a plant, making them appear to be rotten and very unwell. https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-science/citric-acid.htm Black mold, or sooty mold, is a common fungus found on a variety of plants throughout the United States.