This is my first time doing a Thread.
I bought a peony from a very reptuable small nursery guy about 1 1/2 months ago. I planted the peony and all was well for awhile. But now each stem is dying. Only one stem is now alive. Can someone tell me what is going on from the picture? Is it a disease or transplant shock?
Here is another picture of the stems drooping over.
daisyruffles .. Regretably .. I have no idea about what could be the matter .. other than, from the appearance in your pics - perhaps a bit of a 'lift' may be in order! It may be just the mulch I'm seeing, that makes the Peony appear to be set a bit TOO deep in the ground ...
But, for safety sake, maybe take your shovel and place it far enuff away from the bush, and go strait down with the shovel .. and then lift her a wee bit, to elevate her .. and shove some soil under it.
Heck, she looks just too healthy, otherwise .. to be anything more serious .. Of course, that's just my humble opinion .. but a sincere observation!
I'll keep tabs with ya .. and hopefully that does the trick - or someone with a whole lot more knowledge and experience pops in .. soon .. to give ya better aid!!
- Magpye
Thanks, Magpye, for your response.
It looks like there is a lot of mint compost around the stems but I actually thought there were planted too deep too. But the soil around the peony stems is dark too. The stems are at the same level as what they were in the 5-gal pot when I bought it.
I had asked someone at another nursery about this problem and they thought it was too wet. Well, this isn't the case. These peonies are in a raised bed, about 18" or more above the ground.
So I am still hoping someone out there can help me.
So I am still hoping someone out there can help me.
Very probably you have verticulum (sp) wilt or botrytis, although the latter usually appears when the buds are evident. I've done battle with both.
It's very important to remove and destroy the wilted stalks of the plant as soon as possible, and make sure you cleanse your cutters with a bleach solution afterwards so you don't spread the disease to other plants and trees. Then go out and purchase a fungicide - I use Fung-onil (TM) for my peonies. You'll need to spray the healthy plants and the soil around them with this and repeat after a heavy rain. Keep a close eye on the peonies for any more wilt and attend as soon as you see signs. Spores from these fungus live in the soil. Once it shows up you need to check the area often for problems, you'll never kill all the spores and they can spread with splashing water - so it's best to water peonies (if needed) at ground level with a drip type hose.
BTW - cutting a badly infected plant completely down to the ground will not kill it!!! I had one terribly infected Lora Dexheimer Peony two years ago that I tried to contain the botrytis on - to no avail. I ended up cutting it back to the ground and later digging up the plant and moving it to another area. It's growing healthy in its new spot!!!
Hope this helps! Do a search on google for peony wilt, botrytis, etc. and you'll find lots of information.
Lynne
Here's a good reference for botrytis I found in another thread http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactSheets/botrytis/botrytis_peony.htm
Good Luck! And don't panic!!!
Lynne,
Thanks so much for your information. I ended up taking the pictures to 3 nurseries yesterday and they said the same thing you did. That it looks like Botrytis and to spray it with a systemic fungicide.
So I went out and got some by Fertilome (sp?) and sprayed it yesterday. But of course, it rained hard so need to do it. I removed most all the infected stems but have 2 left with no infection, I hope. I did look up on Google for the Peony Blight and found what you said about spraying the soil too.
So I need to do that today then. I had made a new raised bed just for this peony and don't really want to move it but....
Do I have to use bleach on the pruning shears or using liquid soap alright?
Thanks, Carol
No - soap won't do it, use a 50/50 solution, bleach and water to disinfect them. I keep a jar of this around for cleaning my garden shears when I'm cutting and trimming. It's a good habit to get into, then you don't spread disease from on plant/tree to another.
Keep using the fungicide until the buds have finished blooming. After that remove any diseased foliage throughout the summer. This fall, make sure you removed the dead foliage and burn or put it in the trash - don't throw it in a mulch pile! Use the fungicide on the remaining stumps and then again next spring when you see the stems emerge.
Ok, Lynne, Thanks for your information. I was wondering how long to keep putting the fungicide on and now I know.
What a hassle! I am wondering if it would just be better to just dig up the peony and the soil around it, and toss it all rather to keep babying it forever.
Nope, it's all part of gardening!!! The spores were probably in the soil. It would be like tossing the baby out with the bath water. Nothing you can do except treat it.
It's not really that bad. Once they bloom, you really only need to check the foliage once a week. NBD.
