Black root rot (BRR), caused by the fungus Thielaviopsis basicola,has a host range of several hundred plants. In the landscape, the most common hosts include pansies (Fig. 1), and vinca, along with calibrachoa and petunia. In perennial hosts, it often infects lavender, phlox, milkweed and butterfly-weed (Asclepius spp.). Even woody plants, like holly and elderflower…Read more about Black Root Rot[Read More]

Junipers have to be my favorite group of evergreens, behind a select few pine species. They have a fantastic fragrance, are evergreen, many can tolerate drought, are an ingredient in gin (definitely a bonus), and work well in a variety of landscape uses, including as a barrier plant. They look great year round, except when…Read more about Tip blights of Juniper[Read More]

Contorted filbert is an ornamental cultivar of European Filbert, (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’), grown for its twisted, gnarly stems. The plant is also sold under the name Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick. While it’s unique architecture can be impressive, it’s highly susceptible to a fungal canker that can cause extensive damage to the tree. Eastern filbert blight…Read more about Contorted Filbert: A Gnarly Problem Plant[Read More]

Are you noticing bright yellow, white and brown blobs on wood chip mulch?  These growths are known as slime molds. Slime molds are not parasitic and therefore do not cause disease. Slime molds get their nutrients from bacteria and small bits of organic matter which is why it is common to see them growing on…Read more about MULCH ADO ABOUT SLIME MOLDS[Read More]

How are your plant identification skills? Personally, without a reference, I tend to have difficulty identifying some of the less commonly used trees in the landscape. However, being a disease diagnostician/plant pathologist I do have a fallback strategy – the diseases. One of the key points here is some symptoms are so characteristic of, or…Read more about Half the Battle[Read More]

First identified on coleus in the US in 2005, downy mildew has become an annual threat to production of this popular annual. The disease may be caused by the pathogens Peronospora lamii (also infects basil, as well as several species of Salvia and Lamium) or P. belbaharii (also infects basil). The symptoms may range from…Read more about Coleus Downy Mildew[Read More]

Rhizoctonia is not very picky. The fungus has a very wide plant host range where it can act as an endophyte, not causing damage to the colonized plant; a mycorrhizal symbiont, in some cases being essential for the hosts survival, like in some orchid species; and, as we commonly see it, a pathogen that causes…Read more about Rhizoctonia Web Blight[Read More]

Rhizomatous bearded iris (Iris x germanica) is a favorite early spring perennial; however, it is routinely troubled by a fungal leaf spot that tends to appear soon after flowering (Figure 1). These start as small wet-looking lesions that may quickly enlarge into larger spots with brownish edges, tan centers and yellow margins (Figure 2). When…Read more about Iris Leaf Spot[Read More]

While fungi are responsible for many of our foliar disease problems, different fungal pathogens present as problems throughout the country, depending upon the host plant grown and the environmental conditions. This is a brief overview of several common types of fungal leaf diseases occur in Indiana and throughout North America (and Europe).  Recognizing the symptoms…Read more about Foliar Fungal Disease Management[Read More]

Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) is a very important pathogen in the ornamental industry. Don’t let the name fool you. Much like Tomato spotted wilt virus and Alfalfa mosaic virus, TRV has a wide host range that includes more than 400 plant species, and is not restricted to Tobacco or vegetables. Plant viruses are named after…Read more about Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV)[Read More]

Dianthus is a much-admired perennial, but occasionally it develops serious disease problems. The most dramatic of these is anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum. The disease may spread rapidly on greenhouse benches or in landscape plantings of susceptible dianthus varieties. The old-fashioned ‘Sweet William’ varieties seem to tolerate this disease fairly well and may only…Read more about Dianthus Anthracnose[Read More]

Fungicides are important tools for managing ornamental plant diseases (Fig. 1). There are many different fungicides and numerous methods of classifying them. One way to classify fungicides is by their chemical structures or modes of action — the specific ways the fungicides kill a fungus. Fungicides that share a common mode of action belong to…Read more about Putting the spin on fungicide rotations[Read More]

We receive a large number of spruce samples each year at the PPDL, with the vast majority being from Colorado blue spruce with needlecast. Many others show lower needle yellowing, which could be associated with nutrient deficiency or root stress. Figure 1 and 2.   However we are receiving an increasing number of Norway spruce…Read more about Phomopsis Dieback of Spruce[Read More]

Leaf blotch, also called red spot and measles, is a common disease of peony caused by the fungus Graphiopsis chlorocephala (=Cladosporium paenoiae).  The disease has multiple names because there are multiple symptoms. Lesion on leaves and stems can vary from tiny red spots (“measles”) to larger brown or purple blotches (Figures 1, 2 and 3)….Read more about Peony leaf blotch[Read More]

For many of us, pest management is never far from our mind. This may be because the pests we manage are always there, and even if we can’t see them, we know that they haven’t disappeared completely. For this reason, it is important to take a time-out and think about how to improve your management,…Read more about IPM&M: Integrated Pest Management and Mindfulness[Read More]

Tubakia leaf spot, caused by the fungus Tubakia, is the disease we find more commonly on oak than any other. Throughout the world, there are 11 species of Tubakia known to infect oak, with Tubakia dryina (previously known as Actinopelte dryina) being the most commonly encountered species in our landscapes. Apple, ash, black gum, chestnut,…Read more about Tubakia and Bur Oak Blight[Read More]

We often think of Phytophthora as mainly a root rot pathogen, but Phytophthora can also cause a bleeding trunk canker under the right conditions. The most commonly attacked trees we see in the diagnostic lab are American and European beech (Fagus spp.), and maples (Acer spp.); but this disease is also reported to occur on…Read more about Phytophthora Bleeding Canker[Read More]

As the 2020 gardening year draws to a close, now is the time to ensure a successful gardening season next year, for you or your customers!  Sanitation is a cornerstone of integrated pest management and is essential for good plant health management. Throughout the year, we have been plagued with both unusually wet and unusually…Read more about “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald[Read More]