I read about a problem with daylily rust. It is growing at a rapid pace. Anyone seen this around their areas?
Kelly
Daylily rust
I went to a short class sponsored by the SNA and they said it's been spotted in most of the southern states, especially Texas and Florida. It's not to panic though. It's not like a virus that you can't control/eradicate. Cleanliness with your plantings, washing tools, cleaning up spent blooms and old leaves are important. Remove the spent foliage in the fall after it is dormant. Spray with a fungicide containing neem or chlorothalonil(Daconil) in the spring as soon as the leaves come up is a good preventative. The rust does not survive in the ground or on the roots, it needs the leaves to live in, so by removing the old leaves you've won half the battle. It usually won't show up till it is really warm, June/July around here in zone 7. If you do see rust, spray according to the directions on a fungicide especially for rust, one that contains the neem or chlorothalonil.
thanks for the info Cala, I have lots of DLs and tons of new super hybrid seeds. This will help me a lot!
Hey Cala - do you know how far north the rust will survive? I thought I read somewhere that it won't be able to live in the northern zones but I'm not sure. Do they even know?
poppysue, I don't think they know yet. There is great hope that it will NOT, but they know that it survives in cold plaaces in China, etc, so the general consensus is that it WILL survive in the north.
My own opinion is that it may survive in the north, but I think we are going to have an easier time of dealing with it because of the cold. But I have no proof of that-- it's just an opinion.
The next couple of years will be a "wait and see" type of learning experience.
Poppysue, they "thought" zone 5, but are waiting till this summer to make a decision on it. I know it will be easier to deal with up north. They said the daylilies that are evergreen and semi-evergreen have the worst problems.
I have seen fields of Daylillies mowed down to nubs and sprayed with fungicides because of this rust. Shortens the hybridizing season drastically if you get this...unless of course you just hybridize...then you can set seed and treat latter.
going to start spraying mine today, they are already coming up.
TiG, remember to rotate chemicals so they don't get resistant. Use three different classes and then start the cycle over. Once every 10-14 days is enough, like roses.
well of course!! wouldn't you know I thought I was really lucky when I got Daconil at 75% off at Lowes. what other two should I be using?
Neem oil is supposed to be good and natural...
LUCKY ME! I got that at 75% off too:)
TiG, another product that most people have in their kitchens is baking soda, 1TBSP per gallon sprayed is good for roses and also daylilies. Recently, there has been some experimenting with using Miracid for keeping black spot and other fungus off of roses. It's worth a try.
Ther is a good article on rust just been put on the Baton Rouge Daylily Society website http://www.brdaylilysoc.org/Articles.html or just go to www.brdaylilysoc.org