Re: CULT: crown rot?

From: HIPSource@aol.com

In a message dated 5/26/99 8:30:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
plamb5@bellsouth.net writes:

<<    Last weekend we noticed little brown seed-like things on some of the
 leaves, but the cotton specks are dotted lightly on some of the leaves, not
 at the base of the fan....so now I am confused.  The tips of the leaves are
 yellow and brown, some leaves fall over and when I tug on them they just
 come right off the rhizome....I have seen nothing at the soil line.  Could
 this be something else or just the beginning of the virus/whatever??  Would
 it hurt to just be on the safe side and put that terraclor on them 
anyway???>>

Lynn, at this time of year it is not unusual to see some browning of the leaf 
tips, and individual old leaves may be pulled easily away from the base of 
the fan, but whole fans should not lift away from the rhizome, and things 
should not fall over.

Let's deal with the southern blight issue first. This is a soil borne fungus 
which attacks the base of vulnerable plants at the soil line. You see it 
often when humidity is high and the area is poorly ventilated and/or poorly 
drained. It likes moist soil, and often compacted soil, but it can grow in 
lots of places. It is prevalent in the soils of the south and arises in 
advantageous circumstances. The first signs are usually sick looking plants, 
which, upon examination, will tend to have a white cottony netting at the 
base of the fans, generally at the back of the elbow. This netting is on the 
soil surface. As the fungus matures it produces the little mustard seed like 
bodies, which are often seen with the white netting, but may be alone, like a 
sprinkling of fish roe. It is a pretty distinctive fungus. If you see it, 
remove all soil with the mustard seeds and netting with a trowel, discard the 
soil, sterilize the trowel and drench with Terraclor.

Now, if you are not seeing any of those signs, then it is probably something 
else. My first suggestion is that you need an irisarian to come look at 
things and see what is what. I will send you the name of the president of the 
Charlotte Iris Society privately and you should call her up and ask her to 
send someone to you for a firsthand looksee. 

Now, in the interim, take a sharp paring knife out to the iris bed and go to 
a rhizome which has had the fans lift off in that unsettling manner. Slice 
across the rhizome and remove a slice like a quarter and look at the rhizome. 
If it is crisp and white, things are probably fine. If it is discolored, they 
are not. Cut back to clean white tissue, pour in about an ounce of straight 
bleach, and leave the wound open to the air and light. Hold on to the pieces, 
and hold on to any fans that have lifted off suspiciously. 

I don't know what the little linty things are on the leaves. Could be some 
insect. You could take them to your county extension office if the irisarian 
can't identify them.  

At this moment I would not do a Terraclor drench if there were no clear signs 
of the southern blight itself. Look real hard. If we can't get someone out 
there to help you we may have to revisit the question.

Keep in touch with us here on this matter. We are here to try to help.

John has already answered your question about the Archives. They just get 
sluggish occasionally and Chris has to go shake a stick at them. Let him or 
John know  when you get a search result which makes no sense.

Anner Whitehead
HIPSource@aol.com


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