Re: salvia flowers

At 03:50 PM 8/29/2004 -0700, you wrote:
>I have several salvias: indigo spires, waverly and others whose names I
>don't know. All have a long flower spike made up of many buds (I guess
>that's a salvia characteristic?). Only a few of the buds open and the rest
>tend to dry and eventually fall off. Sometimes this is due to larvae damage
>and I spray with BT to take care of that, though not regularly. Could there
>be another reason, such as weather conditions, amount of sun, etc., that
>all the buds don't open or is this to be expected?
>
>Barbara - in Berkeley

Barbara:

What you describe for Salvia flowers is unusual, especially for `Indigo
Spires'.  If it is a larval attack, look at the base of the flower for
holes.  Weevil larvae often eat their way into ripening Salvia seeds,
especially old world species.  Use of contol insects may be under
investigation for elimination of S. aethiopis, and possibly S. sclarea.
Both are considered noxious weeds, especially aethiopis.   Look for holes in
seeds that are light in weight.

I suspect that low temperatures and dampness can cause abortion of immature
flowers.  I am seeing this right now on S. patens `Guanajuato', but it is
potbound and a new plant.  This loss might also indicate a problem with the
root system, or a sustained sudden change in the weather.

Smetimes this happens with the first flowers, then disappears with later
spikes  IU see this behavior most often in the wintertime in my greenhouse,
especially going into cold, dark, and damp spells.

 
Richard F. Dufresne
1216 Okeeweemee-Star Road
Star, North Carolina  27356 USA
910-428-4704
World of Salvias:  http://www.eclectasy.com/gallery_of_salvias/index.htm
Salvia email list:   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Salvia
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