Hi all, I need some advice. Some of my coneflower leaves look different. Could I be over watering them or Is this some kind of virus, disease or Aster's yellow? If it is please tell me what I need to do to get rid of it. I have posted some photos. Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
I don't know much about Aster Yellows but I've read about it on MOBOT and they say that the veins stay green and the rest turns yellow. Also, you'll have leafy growth between the flower petals. Your second pic is a little blurry so it's hard to tell.
I'm wondering if it's not a phosphorus deficiency. That might cause yellowing leaf veins. It could be that your soil is deficient or the pH is off and the plant can't absorb those nutrients at that pH.
Would you post a better pic of the flower buds?
Thank you so much for your reply Sequoiadendron4. Here are some more photos. The ones that have no blooms on them I don't know if they have bloomed already or not. ( Sorry I didn't notice I had a weedeater string on my flower that I took a pic of until I posted the pics. My eyes aren't what they used to be. ) I posted more pics below.
This message was edited Jun 19, 2014 2:12 PM
I should have had my glasses on when I took those other pics. Oh well, lol. Here are some more pics.
This message was edited Jun 19, 2014 2:14 PM
Iris, they all look good in regards to the Aster Yellows. Pic #1 looks like it has a flower head with no petals. I've always thought that was weird. I have a yellow coneflower that does that occasionally.
I might do a soil test for pH and the basic N, P, K nutrients at least. Then go from there.
This is the link to MOBOT where there is some good info:
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/viruses/aster-yellows.aspx
Thank you so much Sequoiadendron4.
Yeah post an update if you can. I'd be interested to hear of the outcome.
Iris - I had the same thing happen to my Coneflower last year. It had bunches of flower heads with no petals and others that looked normal.
I posted pics in several different threads and no one had an answer, but they confirmed it did not look like Aster Yellows. A few people said they had seen it occasionally. I also searched the internet with no results.
This year that same Coneflower already has buds and looks nice and healthy. I've been very curious whether it will do the same thing or be fine this time.
What I can tell you is I left all those flower heads on the plant because Goldfinches LOVE Coneflower seeds and they could care less whether or not it has petals.
Ah the indiscriminate gold finches. I usually deadhead mine. I wonder how many more blossoms I get by doing that and whether it's worth it. Maybe this year I'll let my echinacea go and see what happens.
I tried deadheading at first since it's recommended to get more blooms and then saved the flower heads I cut off for the Goldfinches. I, personally, never felt it to be worth it so I just let it bloom and when it's done, it's done. I enjoy watching the Goldfinches pull out the seeds and leave the seed heads all winter so they can get every last seed.
Thanks nutsaboutnature. That makes me feel better. Did some of your leaves look weird on your coneflowers too?
Honestly, I don't remember anything odd with the leaves, but I was so obsessed with the flower heads that I may not have noticed. I do know they didn't have any weird formations like I've seen in the pictures of Aster Yellows. I just don't remember if any of the leaves had coloring that looked abnormal.
Unless you see a lot of deformity with the leaves, I'd probably just ride it out and see what happens next year. I suppose you could snip off some leaves and bring them to a nursery for their opinion, but you might also get different opinions at different nurseries unless you're lucky enough to find a real expert.
Iris, I came across some interesting info regarding coneflowers with no petals. Another DG member mentioned this possibility to me last year, but I never found much on it.
There's a possibility it's being caused by Eriophyid Mites. If that's what it is, cutting the plant to the ground in autumn and getting rid of all the plant parts might prevent it from happening again. Don't compost them. Put them in a black trash bag and throw away. It's not necessary to get rid of the entire plant.
I'm going to see what mine does this year. If the flower heads don't have petals, I may decide to follow the recommendations in these articles. The first link also has the second link right in the article. I just added both links to make access easier.
https://ask.extension.org/questions/141213#.U6Y8XsEo6pp
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/hgic1182.html
Well, the more I read about Eriophyid Mites, the less it sounds like the issue of flower heads that are missing petals. So now I'm not sure.
I think my first thought was the best...see what mine look like this year as they bloom and base any decision on that.
Iris, in terms of your Coneflowers...since they are already blooming...it might not be a bad idea to follow the recommendation for Eriophyid Mites. Even if that's not what the problem is, it couldn't hurt and might even help.
Hope I'm not just adding to your confusion.
This may sound silly, but have you considered that a mammal might eat the petals? I have caught my labradoodle grazing on the "daisys." He seems to like puple coneflower especially, but my echis aren't safe from him either. Seems he hasn't heard the Doris Day song. However, the leaves and all the rest remain healthy on our plants.
I know that wasn't the case with mine last year, as I watched how they looked when the buds were opening. They were kind of cool-looking except that it was definitely abnormal.
Mine haven't bloomed quite yet this year, but they're getting close and so far look pretty normal. If so, that's a good sign...we'll see.
I hope you can figure out the problem.
Heres an update. I went outside a few days ago & there were some kind of small insects all over my white coneflowers. I should have taken pictures but without thinking I immediately got my water hose & washed them off. I haven't seen anymore of those insects & that has been a few days ago. I had kept washing them off for a few days after to hopefully get rid of whatever insect was all over them & so far I haven't seen anymore. I appreciate all the info from everyone on here. Thanks. :)
Iris - Aside from the bugs you washed off, how are the plants looking?
Mine is just about to bloom. I notice several buds this morning that are starting to open. So far, they look normal. I'll know better as more of them start to open.
Some of the petals on the white coneflowers look deformed as in bent. The rest of the white coneflowers look normal. Some of my purple ones were the ones I was first worried about but hopefully they are ok. They look beautiful now. I never seen any insects on the purple ones at all.
That's really good news about the purple ones. I wouldn't worry too much about a few of the white ones with deformed petals if the others look good.
RosemaryK - I meant to tell you, I really got a chuckle about your Labradoodle "grazing" on your Daisies (and Echinacea). Probably not too funny for you, though.
Our next-door neighbor has a Labradoodle (named "Lucy"). They also have her father (a Chocolate colored Lab named "Charlie Brown").
I love my garden, but I love my dog even more, so that is how it goes. :) He guards me while I am gardening, so no lions or bears are going to get me!
Love the picture of your labradoodle RosemaryK. He is so precious!
Very sweet picture! He looks to be awfully interested in your plants. Maybe his nibbling is his way of trying to help you garden by getting rid of weeds (or Daisies and Echis).
Possibly he just needs some gardening lessons? :o)
Cliffie would be very happy to help dig as long as the hole is where he wants it. He does smell every plant. The citrus pictured are where he heads when i ask if he wants to be brushed. Even I can tell they smell good.
That's cute, Rosemary!
Well, my Coneflowers are beginning to bloom and so far they all look great...healthy and with PETALS! Whatever was going on last year has not carried over to this year. YAY!
Good news! funny how that works. My coneflowers are OK so far, too, but the slugs have been more fierce chowing down on the hostas. No time to go after them either.
Rosemary, have you ever tried Diatomaceous Earth around your hostas?
I just bought some after reading tons of rave reviews for both indoor and outdoor use. I bought "Food Grade" just to be extra safe (diatomaceous earth is also used in many food products).
I haven't used it yet, but plan to start soon. I also plan to use it in the house because we've had a problem with earwigs the last two summers. It's super safe and works on all soft-bodied insects, but won't harm people or pets (so no worries about Cliffie!).
I found the cheapest prices for food grade at Menard's (home improvement store) and Blain's Farm & Fleet in my area.
I intend to try it and to put it around my fruit trees too. The produce market that sold it didn't mention produce grade but i said it was for apple trees. It's a ten pound bag. I understand it has to be refreshed periodically but I don't know how often yet.
I think pretty much all of it is organic and very safe to use. Some is also marked as food grade which means it's safe to use in food. I don't plan to eat it so it doesn't really matter. I just figured if it's safe to use IN food then it's definitely safe to spread it around inside my house.
I've read if it gets wet, it might need replacing, but that once it dries, it will work again.
Seems it will get wet too, but the key must be whether it washes away. No plans to sprinkle it on food or brush teeth with it here, either. :)
