My peony has Sclerotinia ... - Ask Extension
My peony has Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and I understand there is nothing to do to save it. If I remove it, is there another ornamental plant resistant...
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My peony has Sclerotinia ... #189131
Asked June 07, 2014, 12:47 PM EDT
My peony has Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and I understand there is nothing to do to save it. If I remove it, is there another ornamental plant resistant to this disease?
St. Louis County Missouri
Expert Response
Are you certain this is the disease? Did you see the sclerotium inside the plant stems? It is true that there is not a cure for it and that you will want to plant something other than those that are on the list in the following publication:
http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/1008.pdf
http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/1008.pdf
No, I am not certain this is the disease, just a best guess. No one has been able to tell me what it is. This happened last year too. The leaves were covered with a white film and eventually turned black and curled up. I have had no blooms this year at all. Attached are pictures I just took.
This looks much more like powdery mildew. It seldom kills plants, but can make weaken them some and make them unsightly. I would recommend spraying with a fungicide starting in April and then reapply once a month through July. This should keep the fungus at bay. There are quite a few products labeled for control of this disease.
Thanks for your help. I hope I can remedy this as I hate to lose this plant.
