Dying Peony Plants - Ask Extension
I have been cleaning out flower beds for a friend of mine. She has multiple peony plants that were encased among invasive weeds and are now very sic...
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Dying Peony Plants #418339
Asked July 31, 2017, 10:43 PM EDT
I have been cleaning out flower beds for a friend of mine. She has multiple peony plants that were encased among invasive weeds and are now very sick. From what I can tell, they are suffering from powdery mildew and have massive spider webbing at all of their bases. My friend would like to stay with natural treatments for the plant versus hardware store chemicals. Recommendations as to how I should treat the plants?
Livingston County Michigan
Expert Response
Peonies can be neglected but as you have found, will most likely need some care to bring them back to health. Powdery mildew occurs following warm days and cool nights and is considered more unsightly than harmful. It is rare a plant will die from it.
At this point, your best best is to prune out dead leaves or limbs and destroy them. Keep the plant healthy through the rest of the year (ensuring it is watered at the base if possible). You could spray the peony with a organic copper-based fungicide if you wish but that will not change the look of the plant. Always follow the application directions on the label. See the article below with more details about the types of copper fungicides.
https://extension.umd.edu/learn/two-organic-pesticides-vegetable-gardeners
After a hard freeze in the fall, cut the plant back to the base and destroy all materials since the fungal spores will overwinter in the debris. Next spring as the plant develops leaves, you could spray the copper fungicide as a preventative measure but if weather conditions are not right, then powdery mildew may not be an issue. Possibly a "wait and see" approach would work best and then you could spray the fungicide if you start to see powdery mildew.
More info below about peony care in the article below.
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/hgic1170.html
Hope that helps.
At this point, your best best is to prune out dead leaves or limbs and destroy them. Keep the plant healthy through the rest of the year (ensuring it is watered at the base if possible). You could spray the peony with a organic copper-based fungicide if you wish but that will not change the look of the plant. Always follow the application directions on the label. See the article below with more details about the types of copper fungicides.
https://extension.umd.edu/learn/two-organic-pesticides-vegetable-gardeners
After a hard freeze in the fall, cut the plant back to the base and destroy all materials since the fungal spores will overwinter in the debris. Next spring as the plant develops leaves, you could spray the copper fungicide as a preventative measure but if weather conditions are not right, then powdery mildew may not be an issue. Possibly a "wait and see" approach would work best and then you could spray the fungicide if you start to see powdery mildew.
More info below about peony care in the article below.
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/hgic1170.html
Hope that helps.
