Knowledgebase
We have something growing on one of our plants. Can you tell us what it is/ #851063
Asked September 24, 2023, 12:58 PM EDT
I recently sent in a picture of something growing on one of our plants at the Older Person Commission in Rochester Michigan. I received a response back, but I am unable to find the response in on my computer to forward to the person who need it. Would it be possible to resend the response to me again?
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
No problem! Here's my earlier response. Let me know if you have any further questions :)
While there's no way to definitively know without testing at a lab, this looks more like eriophyid mites on a coneflower, Echinacea, to me. It could also be Aster yellows, but this usually causes plant yellowing and stunting along with flowers that are stunted sometimes with green petals. Please reference these resources from OSU and University of Maryland for more information about eriophyid mites and aster yellows in general.
I would recommend removing all of the affected flower heads and putting them in the trash, rather than composting them. This will help to reduce populations of the mites for next season. Be sure to sanitize your cutting tool before and after using with rubbing alcohol or a 1% bleach solution.
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/aster-yellows-disease-flowers
