Last year some of the stems of my Peonies started to turn black and wilt. I think it might have been Botrytis (a fungal disease that causes stems to rot and collapse). I started to do a Google search til I got sick to my stomach. Some sites suggested destroying the whole plant! Others suggested spraying with a systemic fungicide throughout the year.
Do any of you DGers have any knowledge or experience with this? It would break my heart to destroy these plants as they were passed down from my Grandfather, uncle and father.
Help needed on Peony diseases
Hi sveiks, I have tried for the past 5 years to figure out why 2 of my peony bushes would get more and more black spots until they were almost completely black by fall. They really didn't wilt, tho. Last week we had a Master Gardener day at IA State and I finally got an answer in the pathology workshop. They called it Peony Leaf Blotch, it's a fungus, and to cut off affected leaves and in the fall cut off all the foliage and burn them. It's a different kind than the one that causes the root rot. Is your's like this?
Well, kooger ... the base of the stem turns black and (I'm trying to remember) I recall that the stem eventually did turn black and wilt. Yes, it became worse as the season progressed. The leaves did get black blotches-- the root did NOT rot. Did the MG suggest anything to prevent or treat this other than cutting off the foliage?
They said the main thing was to cut off the leaves and stems and burn them because the fungus overwinters there. I always cut them off in the spring so I'm going to do it their way this year. One of the gals did say you could spray them or dust them with a fungicide but removing it was the best bet. Go to the buds question in this forum and you'll see the piece I typed from the book I have. It's an old book but one of the best I've seen for perennials and designing beds. Laura
Thanks, Laura, going over to the "buds don't open" thread :)
Looks like we're all interested in keeping our Peonies blooming and healthy ... there were four threads posted regarding Peony problems as soon as the Forum opened! Now we're gonna need help IDing these beauties!