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Garden Gate:  Help with Peonies  |
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DairySue
True Blue Farmgirl
67 Posts
Sue
Connecticut
67 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 15 2008 : 09:15:10 AM
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I neeed help with my peonies. I brought peonies to my home from my previous home (which was 45 years old), plus my parents home (originally from my grandmothers). A bunch were planted near some evergreens and others by our deck. The ones near the evergreen began to not flower and get a mildew white powder, getting smaller and smaller. I suspected they were too close to the evergreens which had grown out a lot. The ones near the deck have been gorgeous.
Last fall I moved the peonies away from the evergreens and started a new bed near our house, providing lots of sun and room for them. They did not show improvement in size. One bud came out but it turned brown. The powdery stuff is back. I mixed a
detergent/baking soda/oil in water to spray them with. I've only tried that once. I think I have a blight rather than powdery mildew.
Can anyone tell me whether or not it is blight for sure? Should I toss them all? Or give another year with a serious effort to treat them?
Photo was taken in mid July..they are completely white now.http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2765818698_5f1909f944.jpg
Sue in CT
http://frumsglassmenagerie.blogspot.com/ |
Edited by - DairySue on Aug 15 2008 09:15:54 AM |
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Pavla
Farmgirl in Training
22 Posts
Pavla
Grandville
MI
USA
22 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2008 : 1:04:42 PM
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| Well I am unsure if it is blight as usually the mold present with blight is grayish. But with the mold and then leaves turning brown it may just be. But it is certainly some type of mold/fungus (which is what blight is). If I were you I would just cut the plants back to the ground and leave them be until next year. It sounds to me that they peonies were weakened by the move and the fungus then can easily move into the plant through the roots. Are they in an especially wet spot? I suspect the spot under the evergreens was probably pretty moist, thus promoting the fungus in the roots. When they were moved the fungus just moved with them. But I think at this point it is too late to really try to save them this year and cutting the foliage would allow them to rest and hopefully start anew next year. You could try to 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon of water and spray the leaves, but it sounds like this may not be worth the effort. Also I would be worried that leaving the spores there will encourage spreading, which I am sure you do not want!! In any case fungus will not kill the plants or really harm them really. It just makes them look ugly. Hope this helps out a little! |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 3:01:09 PM
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Pavla is right about the move affecting the size of your peony plant. Peonies do not like being moved even when dormant and their size is seriously affected by moving them (experience talking here!) As for the blight/fungus thing, you might want to take a cutting of the affected leaves in a ziploc bag to your local Ag Extension Office to get a definate diagnosis/cure for it. Since you have plants that mean enough to you to have gone through the trouble of moving them with you, it would be important to get that proper diagnosis so you don't end up possibly losing them all.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 2:09:08 PM
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I have this problem quite often, too. Here is what I know about it and two possible things to help:
Botrytis blight is a common fungal disease that confronts the peony grower each spring. The fungus Botrytis cinerea blights stems, buds, and leaves and can cause plants to look unsightly. This fungus causes disease on a wide variety of herbaceous and woody ornamentals. It is sometimes referred to as "gray mold" because of the conspicuous, fluffy, gray fungal growth that forms on infected plant parts.
Symptoms
In early spring young stalks may suddenly wilt and fall over. Young buds turn black and dry up (Fig. 1). Larger buds that become infected later in the spring turn brown and become covered with a brown or gray mass of fungal spores (Fig. 2). Flowers may fail to open. Usually the stalks below infected buds and flowers are rotted for short distances below the necks. Large, irregular, dark brown blotches may also occur on the leaves. In severe cases, crown and root rot may occur; however, these symptoms are not as common as aboveground symptoms. In wet weather the diseased plant parts soon become covered with a grayish, felty growth of fungus spores. Small, black sclerotia may form on the base of infected stalks or in other invaded portions of plants that have fallen to the ground. The causal fungus overwinters in this sclerotial stage.
Bud and flower symptoms are often confused with injury from the sucking insect, thrips. If thrips are the cause of bud or flower symptoms, these insects can usually be shaken from among the petals onto a piece of paper. The presence of tiny, orange, scurrying insects barely visible to the naked eye is evidence of thrips injury. Thrips do not cause the leaf blotches or stem rot associated with Botrytis blight.
Control
Cultural Control
Sanitary measures are the most effective means of control. Because the fungus sporulates so prolifically on infected plant parts, it is important to remove and destroy all infected parts as soon as they appear. In the fall, cut all stalks at ground level or below, removing as much of the stalk as possible without injuring the bud.
Spraying with Bordeaux Mix:
There are many copper compounds that are used as fungicides. The most common is Bordeaux mix which is a combination of copper sulphate and hydrated lime. It is accepted in organic farming provided that the number of applications is strictly followed and a proper soil amendment is observed to prevent copper accumulation in the soil. Bordeaux mix sprayMaterials needed to make a gallon mixture
3 ½ tbsp of copper sulphate
10 tbsp of hydrated lime
1 gallon of water (4 liters of water)
Wooden stick
Plastic bucket
How to prepare?
Add copper sulphate and hydrated lime in water. Make sure to use plastic container
Stir well using a wooden sick or ladle
Protect self from direct contact with the solution
How to use?
Spray plants thoroughly preferably early in the morning, in a dry and sunny day. In this way, the plants have the time to dry and the solution can not penetrate into the leaves' tissues
Constantly shake the sprayer while in the process of application to prevent the solution from clogging
PS:
You can buy Bordeaux mix premixed. I think the last time I bought it, I got it from 'Gardens Alive' out of their catalog.
Be sure to clean up and discard all dead plant material now. If it lays on the ground over the winter, the problem will just come back again in the spring. This is where I go so wrong....I forget and get busy with other things and the next thing I know, there's snow on the ground along with all the dead stuff! :(
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
Edited by - Miss Bee Haven on Aug 19 2008 10:32:44 AM |
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DairySue
True Blue Farmgirl
67 Posts
Sue
Connecticut
67 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2008 : 06:39:44 AM
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Thank you all for your advice. (The evergreens were arborvitae. I've been in this home for 10 years, so this has been going on a long while. I put them there as it was a very sunny location.) As I said earlier, I wasn't sure whether to toss the peonies out completely or give another year with treating them. I have thrown all the stems and leaves in the garbage. I wonder if treating the ground and surrounding flowers at this time would be helpful for killing any spores left behind. Anyway, I really appreciate your time and help. I'll keep you updated.
Also, I have a elderly friend, who removed a feather leaved peony from her families homestead. She keeps offering a peice, but I'm afraid to take it. Maybe I'll plant it on my parents property. Thanks again.
Sue in CT
http://frumsglassmenagerie.blogspot.com/ |
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Garden Gate: Help with Peonies |
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Help with Peonies
