Re: Liatris root rot?

Hi Claire -


I wasn't actually so concerned about IDing the disease as much as I was curious if this were a common
thing with Liatris.
YOu're right the plant is uncureable - that was VERY obvious. I just dug up the mushy rhizome.
I will do as you suggest and dig up some of the soil and discard it. And plant Liatris elsewhere. (How far away is far enough?)

I guess I was concerned about the other two clumps that seem okay. Is there anything I can do to ward off the "disease" (my guess is fungal)?
Someone suggested that the fungus just liked the conditions and moved in. Is it possible to prevent
those favorable conditions (i.e., do we know what they are?)

Haven;t seen any woodchucks around here - but the blame is often shifted to the four year old's younger brother!

Sharon



I don't think I would spend much time trying to ID a plant disease that is caused by rot (bacterial), fungus or virus. There are several kinds of Liatris, some with a small tuber that gets eaten by voles.

If a plant goes down to some disease, in the end you usually cannot cure it. You dig it out with some soil and discard the whole lot. Replant new plants in a different location. Something else will probably grow there if it is unrelated to the Liatris.
Curing garden plants is a very difficult thing to do. You send them off to Cooperative Extension (need proper container) and they give you an answer that you probably won't like. It is much easier to get some new plants.
If any plant becomes a time consuming patient, experience usually teaches that a new plant is the happiest way to go. My four year old, many years ago, informed me that a zucchini squash plant was eaten by the woodchucks. That is all I would say about four year olds in the garden. He liked flowers.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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