I have just had 2 plants die and 1 more on its way due to some kind of root rot or fungus. The first was a geranium "ballerina" which I paid more for than any other perennial in my yard. I noticed it a few weeks ago, slowly turning brown and then dieing within a few days. Just a few days ago, my prized variegated jericho's ladder started flattening out at the crown and within a few days was totally brown and dead. I have also noticed my tradescantia "sweet Kate" has collapsed to the ground and each stem is rotting at the roots. They are all planted around my newly created water garden, not far from one another and are surrounded by pine bark mulch. There looks like a scattering of tiny white particles in the area of the root rot. Has anyone had similar problems. What can be done?
Soil fungus?
I had my Jacob's ladder die to the ground, but it is growing back now. Someone had told me that it had gone dormant. I didn't notice any 'white particles' so I'm not sure if it's the same thing that happened to you.
Could the white particles be on the wood chips? That's probably the normal decay setting in. Try pulling back the chips for around the entire spread of each plant. You really don't want the chips too close to the emerging stems.
i stopped using pine mulch years ago because of the fungus. more like white strings though, not particles.
one year, all of my zucchini and squash died. i took it to the cooperative extension and they told me it was nematodes.
do you have a cooperative extension by you.i think every state has one.they could probably tell you exactly what to do. they identify bugs and fungus and wildflowers and answer just about anything for free.in ny it's run through cornell university, but every county has an office. they also keep track of rabies and lyme disease and stuff like that.