CULT: soft rot in leaves vs rhizomes - repost
- Subject: CULT: soft rot in leaves vs rhizomes - repost
- From: L* M*
- Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2002 15:24:23 -0400
Here's what Bill Shear said in a posted response to my question: Mon, 08
May 2000 09:45:44 -0400, SUBJECT: CULT: crown rot vs southern blight?
I said:
>I'm wondering what to call the slimy ick - starts with stalks and outer
>leaves, turning a bilious bright, wet looking green, then rots off the
>stalk bases. Always hits vulnerable cultivars in warmer weather either
>after stress of freezes or stress of drought followed by stress of a
lot
>of rain (which we seem to have constantly this spring). It doesn't
look
>or smell like soft rot.
And Bill Shear replied:
<I've been having this too. In two of my TB plantings, nearly half the
bloomstalks were lost, and some varieties were reduce by about 2/3 of
their
fans. The other day a perfect show stalk (not that I like shows!) of
HELLO
DARKNESS with 4 branches and a spur toppled while I was admiring it! It
seems to have subsided now with the arrival of a few really hot, dry
days.
However, in my garden it stinks like soft rot, so I suspect that is what
it
is. But the smell is produced only when it gets into the rhizome.
Back when I was teaching microbiology, we would culture Erwinia on
plates
of artificial medium and on slices of fresh potato. It smelled awful on
the potato but was odorless on the artificial medium. Perhaps this
difference also explains no odor from leaves it attacks, but a stink
from
the rhizome, which contains lots of stored starches.
The only cure seems to be a daily patrol with sharpened spoon and Comet.
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
blackberries are getting ripe - expecting june bugs to be feasting on
them any day now
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
iris-talk/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
iris-photos/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
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