Re: CULT: Rot

From: celia storey <storey@aristotle.net>

Bill Shear writes:
>
>We were away for five days and
>returned to find a lot of rot to deal with.  Despite the drought, it has
>been a major problem this year.
>
Here, too, Bill. I have a theory that the drought stress made my TBs more
susceptible to Erwinia. It seems logical. I know I am much more likely to
fall victim to one of my bacterial ear infections when I'm exhausted and
badly nourished.

Many of our plants have looked "unwell" about the fans since early August,
with strangely mottled darker green blotches among the normal blue-green.
Even more than the normal brown tipping of dormant fans, this blotching
suggests drought stress, and perhaps we can learn from it. Dormant TBs do
survive droughts, but they would have a much easier time of it if we
watered them occasionally when the going got really tough.
I lost track of how many weeks we endured temps above 95 with zero
rainfall. It would have been kind to have dragged the hose over to the iris
bed once in a while during those weeks. I did water another small planting
of bearded irises routinely through the drought, and they show no signs of
rot now.

One of our local experts thinks insects have been worse this fall and so we
should spread diazinon everywhere to stop Erwinia; but I visit my irises
every day and I have not seen any unusual increase in insects among the TB
irises. Elsewhere in the garden, yes. There are grubs, crickets and
grasshoppers galore near my water irises and among other perennials. But no
aphids this month at all. A few leaf hoppers. There are plenty of little
flies around the rot, but the rot draws them.

I doubt increased insect predation is causing the upswing in rot so much as
increased susceptibility allows it. Or maybe they go hand in hand in the
great circle of life.

For Leslie, I'm posting a brief article I wrote for our local club
newsletter concerning rot, which is rampant in my county. Hope it helps
some.

celia
s*@aristotle.net
Little Rock, Arkansas, USDA Zone 7b
-----------------------------------
257 feet above sea level,
average rainfall about 50 inches (more than 60" in '97)
average relative humidity (at 6 a.m.) 84%.
moderate winters, hot summers ... but lots of seesaw action in all seasons



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