Signs of tulip disease? - Ask Extension
Can anyone tell me what’s wrong with the tulips in the pictures below? Only one has signs of insect damage, and I was wondering what kind of critter...
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Signs of tulip disease? #862527
Asked March 26, 2024, 10:39 AM EDT
Can anyone tell me what’s wrong with the tulips in the pictures below? Only one has signs of insect damage, and I was wondering what kind of critter would chew the middle of a flat leaf like that. Could it be a snail?
The rest of my tulips are looking healthy. Only a few have signs of problems (beige or red streaks on partially wilted leaves, small bulb development). I figure five out of 250 isn’t too bad, but I’m wondering if I should dig them up if it’s a fungal disease? I don’t want it to spread.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
That will be a beautiful display soon!
We think that what we see looks mostly like frost damage.
The purple coloring is indicative of a stress response from frost and sudden weather changes.
We can't tell you for sure who nibbled the one plant, but are happy that is the only one.
The biggest issues to be aware of with tulips (other than deer and voles) is what is a disease termed 'Tulip Fire' (caused by a type of the disease pathogen botrytis) which shows up on the foliage and petals first, but also affects the soil so that future plantings can also be affected. Keep an eye out for it.
You can learn about this here:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/tulip-fire
and more in this page from University of Illinois:
https://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series600/rpd609/
Enjoy your tulips.
Christine
We think that what we see looks mostly like frost damage.
The purple coloring is indicative of a stress response from frost and sudden weather changes.
We can't tell you for sure who nibbled the one plant, but are happy that is the only one.
The biggest issues to be aware of with tulips (other than deer and voles) is what is a disease termed 'Tulip Fire' (caused by a type of the disease pathogen botrytis) which shows up on the foliage and petals first, but also affects the soil so that future plantings can also be affected. Keep an eye out for it.
You can learn about this here:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/tulip-fire
and more in this page from University of Illinois:
https://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series600/rpd609/
Enjoy your tulips.
Christine
