Re: drought....blight....whats the difference....
Alex Summers won't water during a hot dry period because of southern
blight.
He says he learned it the old fashioned way.
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The way most hosta leaves "funnel" water into the center of the crown
with overhead irrigation may make the southern blight problem worse
because of very high humidity.
I wonder how drip irrigation a foot or so from the hosta crown would
work? It would supply the needed water without the high humidity
associated with overhead irrigation.
Garden sanitation is very important with southern blight. The gardener
could easily spread southern blight while digging and removing plants.
All soil around the crown should be disposed of. I understand the spores
can last for years in the soil waiting for the right conditions to start
their life cycle all over again.
Hostas usually regrow a second flush of leaves in my garden after going
down to southern blight. I mark them with flags. The next the year the
hosta is always smaller in my garden. I feel southern blight sets a
hosta crown back a year or so. (And so does Alex, who pointed this out
to me in the first place)
I believe the long residual effect of terraclor may be one of the best
treatments for southern blight(I have heard Solberg say this also). I
bet that none of the fungicide treatments or bleach actually kill the
spores. Spores are tough. It is interesting to note on the labels of
several fungicides labeled for control of southern blight that there is
both a curative and a preventive rate.
I have been able to arrest southern blight a few times with terraclor
and benlate. It is important to treat at the very first sign of
infection. A treated infected hosta may keep half of it's leaves.
Usually without treatment here every leaf on an infected hosta is lost.
Heavy moisture retaining mulches around a hosta crown most likely make
an ideal environment for southern blight.
In our area southern blight is a problem on wheat. The Benlate label
says to rotate fungicides because southern blight can become resistant
to benlate.
Isn't life on the planet grand?
Even fungi evolve to avoid our control efforts.
Dan Nelson
Bridgeville DE
zone 7
SussexTreeInc@ce.net
----- Original Message -----
From: <Marekmohr@aol.com>
To: <hosta-open@mallorn.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 1999 6:20 PM
Subject: Re: drought....blight....whats the difference....
In a message dated 8/12/99 6:11:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
jmahosta@WinterberryFarms.com writes:
<< High temperature, high humidity,
and wet conditions help increase infections. >>
are you suggesting that i should be happy about my drought.....lol....
that one should not water during a hot, hot, drought....that it may do
more
harm than good?
thx....ken
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