Amaryllis has red spots on leaves...

I have never had this problem before...can anyone tell me what this may be? I will post a picture tomorrow...it isn't very pretty! They are really growing great, and this has just started. Thanks for your help.
JanetS

Hi JanetS,
i thought this info might be useful.
it is taken from an inquiry i made to members of the Australian Bulb Association.
and was written by Jim Lykos, who is a very experienced grower.

'Amaryllis or Hippeastrum, particularly those that are pot grown, are more prone to suffer from the red leaf spot caused by the action of the fungus Stagonospora curtisii that grows into the leaf tissue - and I suspect also root tissue.

You need to treat them with a systemic fungicide. However, I have found that Hippeastrums growing in open garden beds with plenty of mulch - and where the ground is covered by Casuarina leaf, ( a native pine tree) seem to have few problems.

The red spotting is virtually the sign that the fungus has damaged the leaf tissue.
What happens with Stagonospora is that you begin to lose all the leaves - they seem to go into a temporary dormancy or it may be the result of root damage but in either event the plant is weakened. New growth results in a few weeks but is subject to the same cycle - and with the bulb getting progressively weaker.'

In my own experience, most all my Hippeastrums suffer this problem to varying degrees.
I try to provide optimum growing conditions, and have used a Copper oxychloride
fungicide, which seems to arrest the development of more red streaks.
It is very hard to eradicate.
However, the bulbs seem to endure the attack and continue to grow and flower.
Hope this has been of use to you.
Arte in australia.

I love Amys too, see my heirloom Amy pics at my Yahoo album: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ladyborglu/album?.dir=edb0&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ladyborglu/my_photos

I have some seeds to trade or give away if interested.

BTW, I found this info about the spots at http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/horticulture/amaryllis.html.

It's long, but says in part:

"Garden plants should be checked frequently for insects and diseases. "Red blotch" or leaf scorch disease is quite common. It appears as red spots on leaves, flower stems and flowers. Leaves or stems may be deformed and the bulb may have large, red blotches which rot easily.

Prevention and Control: Before planting, spray or dust bulbs with Captan or Benlate fungicide. If red blotch symptoms develop during the growing season, spray weekly or at 10-day intervals with Benlate or Captan to help reduce the severity of the disease. See your county Extension agent if you have questions or concerns about pesticide application and use."

good info. I have experienced the same at a certain location, which I know I have been overwatering, so the fact that it may be a fungal affliction seems consistent. I know what to do now. Wondering if cutting the damaged leaves help.

Wow, thanks so much for the information. I figured it might be some type of fungus, I will spray and see if that will help. Ladyborg, did you grow those seddling from seed? How awesome. I didn't know you could do that with Amaryllis. How long does it take them to flower from seed? I don't think I have had seed pods on mine before, I thought you were suppose to snap off the flower once it was done, so they haven't gone to seed. The ones I have this on are in the garden. I placed them in a new be earlier this year. It is beside the house, ad they are really growing well. But then I noticed the red spots and streaks. I pulled the leaves off that had it on them and destroyed them, but like Vossner says I didn't know if that would help or not...

one more...

yep that is exactly how the ones in this particular section look. Janet, my neighbor 3 doors down has grown them from seed, I just learned that few days ago. Having 3 young children, she doesn't pay as much attention to them so she was unable to tell me how long til they bloom when grown from seed. Her bed is great though. Around early April, makes you slow down when driving by.

You can treat it as others have advised, but I wouldn't worry about it if the bulb itself looks healthy. It doesn't impact anything.

Thanks for the information everyone! I haven't looked at the bulbs since they are planted in the garden...I didn't really want to dig them up..LOL a lot of work..

janetS~

This picture http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2689989
seems to indicate trouble down in the bulb and might be from bulb mites.

I say that by observing the deformed jagged edges on the leaves.

Bulb mites are hard to get rid of, but a systemic insecticide applied liberally to foliage and especially around the neck and bulb surfaces might help. "Avid", a controlled chemical, would be my choice, if you can find it or licensed person to apply for you if you aren't certified to obtain it. It is deadly dangerous and must be handled with great care.

I would also peel away all dried "skins" from the neck and outside of the bulb as mites will hide in those and can be protected form the insecticide under them.

The only other treatment is the so-called "hot water treatment", which while involved, is said to be a sure cure for many peast and some diseases. Here's a thread discussing the treatment. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/584160/

It depends on how much you want to do to save a bulb.....I would also recommend keeping the affected plant away from healthy ones and treat them all as well when I did others to kill any pests/fungi there and as well as a protective measure to those that don't yet appear to be affected.

Robert.

Very informative, Robert, and everyone else too. Thanks again for all the help. I will have to check and see if it is mites...now...oh bother! Didn't think amaryllis has pest and disease problems...lol
JanetS

The seedlings you saw on my Yahoo album were started from seed. It's very easy to germinate! It's supposed to take about 3 years for them to flower. I planted the seeds 2 years ago, so hopefully next fall I should have some flowers from them.

The mother plant belonged to my husband's grandmother (the lady in the pics on the album) and are supposed to be about 50 years old.

Amaryllis are the easiest things to grow, I kept them alive when I couldn't garden to save my life.........I could kill silk plants! But they remained alive. All I was told to do was to put bonemeal on them in the spring and in the fall, and I don't always do that!

To get seeds, just don't cut off the flowers, a large bulb of up to hundreds of seeds will grow in its place.

Robert, are the mites visible with a mag. glass, if necessary? I inspected mine today and the necks seemed to be in good shape. I saw no kooties of any kind.

In the other thread I said I had seen them and I think that is true.......just not *sure* of it. I saw it with unaided eyes (just my reading glasses on) but I was looking very intently for them. What I saw was mite-like in appearance and sort of buff-tan colored.

They are "usually less than .3mm long " and that's pretty small but AFAIK, what I saw was therabouts. They would surely be visible with a magnifier.

"Diameter of a human hair : inches: 0.001; centimeters: 0.00254"
"0.00254 Centimeters = 0.025400000000000002 Millimeters"

So a human hair, in this case, is .03 (rounded up), so the mite is 10 times that. That would be fairly easy to see. Prolly a little less wide, AFAIK.

So far this summer, the evidence of mites (leaf edge irregularity) has subsided and the bulbs that had red blotch have recovered. I didn't use the water treatment, too involved and I only had a couple bulbs that "needed" it. I used several applications of systemic fungicide for the blotch and a couple different sytemic insecticides for the mites and other pests (if present). I treated all my plants each time as a curative and preventative.

I have read from more than one knowledgeable Amaryllids researcher that mite infestation precedes red blotch infection, and he says it is "always" the case. As was discussed in the other thread, both can already be present in the "less expensive" bulbs or those produced under less-than-strict care, at the time of purchase!

Robert.

well, then I better give it a spraying, for good measure. thanks everybody.

Here's a picture of an Amaryllis seedpod ready for harvest. Sorry, it's a horrible picture, but it's the only one I could find. As you can see, as many pollinated flowes as are on a stem, will form seeds. You get about 100-150 seeds per pod, so there's no need to let them ALL go to seed and use up all that good energy.

I recommend leaving it on until it starts to split, that's nature's way of spreading the seeds when they are good and ready.

That's a great picture! Thanks

Robert, which is the best systemic fungicide for Ams? I have a Papilio that is displaying those red blotches on the outer most leaves. The bulb seems fine, no signs of blotch or damage, but down in the crevice of the leaf- the red exists. It's really bothering me. LOL

I have an Aunt that has had the same Amaryllis for 30 years. She has divided and shared this plant many times over and it continues to bloom year after year. The only thing is that it does have these red splotches that seem so common in Amaryllis. It does not appear to have hindered flowering or production in any way. I'm all set to get a division of it next week when I visit! It's probably a Red Lion, which I already have, but this one will be special.

So, here's my Papilio(I understand that they do not need a dormant period to force flowering?) Hope not, cuz I didn't do that! LOL

GrowHappy..even after all I did I am seeing some red on the bulbs I have planted...I will be interested to see if it affects the flowers at all...I have several that I potted two weeks ago and they are growing like crazy, I treated the bulbs with the hot water treatment before planting them...(17 of them) into pots, and I did pull off any red I saw on them...they were not all from the same supplier either...and I still see some red...hmmmm....I guess I will just wait and see what happens...will keep you posted. I am excited at the growth though..some of them are already over six inches tall and it has only been two and a half weeks since I potted them up.
JanetS

Hey Janet!

A couple of my other bulbs have a reddish tinge to them, but do not appear to be affecting the firmness or overall quality of the bulb. I cut some of the outer layer of the 'Royal Velvet' away and am hoping for the best. One of my 'Elvas' is poking a stalk out(i think!) The thing that's bugging me is that I have two pots of Elvas and I had one in the BR and one in the LR. I treated them both the same as far as forcing dormancy(no water for a few weeks). One is showing growth and the other one is not. I just don't know which is which because I watered all of them the other day and put them all together. Dang it!!!

Now, I've heard that Sulfur is a good thing to use for rot, but don't think it will work for the fungus. Do you know?

Sorry, I don't know..here is another thread I started it may have some help on it..it has been a while since I read all of it and I don't retain info very well..;(

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/667294/

forgot to put the link here...LOL

This message was edited Nov 16, 2006 9:21 PM

GrowHappy~

Well, I'm no authority on what is "best", but I'll tell you what I use, and find effective for a range of fungi. I use "Funginex" (I think the active ingredient is Triforine, if you want to try another similar product.) It's a "broad spectrum systemic" meaning that not only does it treat a variety of fungi on plant tissues and in the soil, it is absorbed by the plant (mainly through the foliage) and treats and protects from within the tissues. When I'm treating for fungi and insects at the same time, I use "Orthenex", both chemicals are systemic in that one too.

Since the bulb of the amaryllis is composed of the enlarged leaf bases, the bulb will be protected from within from a foliar application. I usually peel the dried tunics off the bulb so that it can absorb the spray there as well.

Those papilios are definitely one of the Hippis that will resist going dormant should you try it. They do better when allowed to stay green. (And really, all your large-flowered Hippis can be allowed to stay green!) My papilios are putting out new leaves right now, and will bloom when they are ready. I'm not at all picky about when. Most modern hybrids are evergreen and do not need to be dried off or forced to rest. They will do that in response to conditions and their own timing. A forced "cool rest" is done when you want to try timing the next bloom flush.

Some hybrids and species will willing relinquish leaves as they go dry and some hold onto their foliage and will try to grow under very poor light and being totally dry if they are warm enough. Ihave "pushed" (not forced) most of mine to go totally dormant because I have so very little window space for them, it works out better if I can hold them dormant and bring them out one at a time later and cycle them through my best light areas as they bloom. I'd like to hold them till late winter-early spring so I can take them outdoors, at least during the day, so I won't have to stake the weak, floppy growth that usually comes from the poor winter light I have to grow them in.

PS: Forgot about the sulphur. Dusting the roots with sulphur can help deter various fungi from spreading to them from other affected plant parts and soil borne spores. (Sulphur dusting can also deter or kill mites.) There is also a wettable sulphur that can be applied by spraying to get a more even coverage. I haven't heard of it being an effective treatment for "red blotch", but that doesn't mean it isn't a good preventative necessarily.....

Robert.


This message was edited Nov 16, 2006 11:43 PM

Robert- thank you for your response! Can you also tell me where I might purchase sulfur? I need some...

GH

GrowHappy~

Agricultural sulphur is readily available at garden centers. Do read up on it before applying to foliage though, as it can cause negative reactions. It might be better to use only as a dusting for the bulbs.

Robert.