Knowledgebase

Aster yellows or coneflower rosette mite? #839579

Asked July 08, 2023, 8:52 AM EDT

Hello, Something funky is going on with a group of our coneflower. I at first thought it was the dread aster yellows. But they aren't demonstrating the really alien looking side effects, so I'm wondering if it could be coneflower rosette mite? These are planted in a spot that gets OK sun but could probably use more. It's also been a very moist area of late, since it's located near our rain chain and rain barrel and the downpours are splashing down on it. Happy to send more photos, if helpful. Thanks for your help!

Prince George's County Maryland

Expert Response

There can be several factors that cause Coneflower blooms to be malformed or missing parts, but in this case Aster Yellows is not suspect based on the pictured symptoms. You can keep an eye on the plant of course, as an Aster Yellows infection will only progressively get worse and its symptoms more blatant due to the nature of that pathogen. Clip off any malformed flower heads in case mites are present to try to reduce their numbers. We agree this looks more like Coneflower Rosette Mite damage than anything else (outside of environmental stress perhaps); the linked page has more information about this mite and comparisons with typical Aster Yellows symptoms.

Miri
Thanks, Miri! I really appreciate the quick response!

Thanks again,
Tom

On Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:25 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied July 10, 2023, 11:35 AM EDT

Loading ...