Pachysandra Leaf Blight

/Pachysandra Leaf Blight/

Pachysandra Leaf Blight

This appears to be Pachysandra leaf blight, caused by the fungus Volutella pachysandrae. Always work in plantings when they are DRY to reduce the spread of the disease. Remove and destroy all severely infected plants. These should be buried or thrown out with the garbage. General thinning of the planting to promote good air circulation will help reduce spread by allowing plants to dry out more quickly after rain. When feasible disinfest pruning tools by swabbing the cutting blades with a solution of 7 parts rubbing alcohol and 3 parts water between each cut. Avoid the use of mulches that promote high moisture around
the plants, and remove tree leaves that cover the planting in the fall. After the above cultural practices are completed, fungicide sprays may still be needed in some cases to prevent further spread of the disease. SOURCE: Cornell University Department of Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology.

By | 2016-03-01T15:14:34-08:00 March 1st, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Gray Mold Or Damping Off

This is a fungal problem, and there are several possibilities. The two most common are Botrytis and one of the fungi that cause "damping off." The first is gray mold (Botrytis), which usually takes new seedlings a leaf at a time. It is most active in cool, humid environments, so you can counteract it by warming the temperature, reducing humidity (which warming alone will do), and increasing air circulation. There are also fungicides made to treat infected plants. The second possibility is damping off disease, which includes a complex of fungi that kill the seedling by attacking its stem. The up-front prevention is to use absolutely sterile soil mix, with no reused soil from last year or garden compost. The cubes like you've used might be keeping the area far too wet. Once damping off starts, you can't stop it. Good air circulation will help in the future as well - a fan on a timer that blows the seedlings helps strengthen them and keep the air circulating.

By | 2016-03-01T14:35:50-08:00 March 1st, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Spider Mites

This is being caused by a spider mites. These tiny spiders (can only be seen with a magnifying lens) suck plant sap and chlorophyll from the leaves, causing the speckled appearance we see on these leaves. You may also see some very fine, disorganized, webbing with mites in the web. If you confirm, you can use insecticidal soaps or horticulture oils to control them, but don't over-use these products because you'll probably be killing other beneficial mites that are natural enemies of these mite pests. When many of the predatory/natural enemies are killed, the spider mite pest population can sky rocket and get worse. You can also help keep the population of pest mites down by occasionally washing off the leaves of the affected plants early in the morning (and allowing them to dry throughout the day). Here are a couple of web-links with more info:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/spidermitescard.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

By | 2016-03-01T12:42:06-08:00 March 1st, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Lobelia Fan Blue

Fan Blue Cardinal Flower features showy spikes of blue tubular flowers with violet overtones rising above the foliage from early to mid summer, which emerge from distinctive deep purple flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Fan Blue Cardinal Flower will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. This perennial does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, although it seems to be quite loved by insects and hummingbirds, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

By | 2016-03-01T03:40:13-08:00 March 1st, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Bacterial Blight

Based on what we can see in the picture, your lilic may also have a bacterial or fungal infection, not uncommon. It's hard to be certain without seeing the entire plant to see how many leaves are affected and where the damage is most prevalent. If you can send us a photo of the entire plant that would be helpful. In the meantime, don't overhead water, which can spread infection. Of course, it's impossible to avoid overhead watering with the rain you're experiencin. Also, remove all leaf debris that may have fallen off and discard it in the garbage, not the compost pile. If you want to remove the most infected leaves now, make sure to wipe your garden sheers off with alcohol wipes between cuts as precaution. When plants are stressed, it's best not to fertilize them, which can stress them further. Send us another photo of the entire plant and we'll try to narrow down the possibilities. You can send multiple images. Kudos to you for paying close attention to your plants!

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:22-07:00 March 1st, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Monterey Pine

Widely cultivated in California landscapes for its fast-growing habit and picturesque, deep-green appearance, Monterey pine is native to three locations along the California Coast (Ano Nuevo, Monterey Peninsula, and Cambria) and two islands off Baja California (Guadalupe and Cedros).
Monterey pine cones remain closed until the heat of fires or exceptionally warm weather cause them to open and discharge their seeds. Seedlings developing in areas newly cleared by fire gain the advantages of reduced competition for water and light, and ash-enriched soils. This habit allows the species to survive infrequent natural fires.
Despite its limited native habitat, it is one of the most widely planted trees in the world. In New Zealand, Australia, and Chile, it is the predominant commercial forestry species. Specimens grow exceptionally fast and straight in areas of year-round rainfall, whereas trees in California develop gnarled trunks and domed crowns.

By | 2016-03-01T01:00:35-08:00 March 1st, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Azalea Another One

Thanks for sending this long shot; we can now see it's a Rhododendron. The odd thing is that it's right next to another Rhododendron which looks healthy. If not for that, we'd suspect winter burn because broadleaf evergreens are very susceptible to wind burn in winter. Winds wick moisture out of the foliage, but because the ground is frozen, the plant can't absorb more moisture from the soil to replace what it has lost. This often occurs in Jan-Feb. The damage will not heal, so your best bet is to prune off the damaged foliage and stems and wait for new growth. In the future, you could spray with an antidessicant like Wiltpruf in winter. This slows the evaporation of water from the foliage and can help prevent winter wind burn. However, since you have one healthy Rhodie next to one ailing Rhodie, we suggest you show this photo to a local garden center or coop extension agent. You may need to have someone come examine the soil or your shrub's root system. Good luck!

By | 2016-02-29T23:55:30-08:00 February 29th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Aphids

Aphids are piercing, sucking insects and suck the chlorophyll out of plant leaves, making them weak and opening them up to infection by other pathogens. They excrete "honeydew" which attracts ants and provides the perfect environment for the growth of sooty mold. This mold reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the leaf cells and reduce photosynthesis, which of course affects the plants ability to produce new leaves and fruits. We've included a link about Aphids, but at this stage you'll probably want to use a pesticidal soap; they're available at your local garden center. You'll need to follow the label directions and make sure the plants are well watered before you spray them. You'll also need to follow-up, most likely, with more sprays, but again be sure to follow the label directions for best results.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/aphidscard.html
Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the Read More About Aphids link for more detailed info.

By | 2016-02-29T22:32:06-08:00 February 29th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Slugs Snails Or Chewing Insects

Looks like snails or slugs but could also be caterpillars. Look under the leaves for caterpillars and remove them by hand if you find them (some of them are small and some of them can get quite large, like the Tomato Horn Worm). Look for snails and slugs at dawn or dusk and remove them and dispose of them. Also look for slime trails around the plants early in the day to indicate their presence. If you have an area of your garden or landscape that may be harboring snails, we recommend trapping them and/or collecting them from the area every morning until you've eliminated them (or as much as possible). Snail baits must be used exactly right to be effective and can be toxic to children and animals. Since snails/slugs lay eggs in soil, we also recommend regular cultivation of the soil with a hoe or claw-type tool around the yard/garden, but avoid damaging plant roots. This link provides great info about managing snail/slugs.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/snailsslugscard.html

By | 2016-02-29T22:25:20-08:00 February 29th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Pruning Jade

To get this Jade to fill out and be more tree-like, you'll first clip off all branches that hang down past the edge of the pot. After that, pinch the tips of all the new growth up on top back by at least two leaves and sometimes a bit more if that growth is lean and thin. This will cause the plant to double the growth everywhere you pinch, which will create a fuller plant on top. Those things are step one.

Let the plant grow for a year after that pruning before doing more - if you do too much all at once the plant will respond by lots of leaner, weaker growth which isn't what you want. So doing it in two year stages will be good. Don't fertilize much. If you have a place to put this plant outside for "summer camp" that would thicken the growth - move it out to a location with just a couple of hours of morning sun for the first month, then move it to a location with about four or five hours of sun after that. Bring the plant indoors again before frost. If you can't put it outside, place it where it will get the strongest sun possible.

By | 2016-02-29T21:03:57-08:00 February 29th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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