Botrytis outbreak on roses, poinsettias follows chilly, damp weather
This Marilyn Monroe rose is showing early signs of botrytis: The red spots are the symptoms. Debbie Arrington
Sacramento experienced record cold weather this past weekend and thick damp fog that seemed to just hang around.
How will this combination of cold and damp affect our gardens? A rapid shutdown to dormancy. Any fall foliage clinging to branches is dropping now.
This weather also kicks some fungal diseases into high gear. My roses saw a massive attack of botrytis – gray mold – and it’s not pretty.
According to the National Weather Service, downtown Sacramento recorded lows of 32 degrees on Dec. 17 and 18 – records for both dates. With relentless fog, Sunday (Dec. 18) was the coldest day in downtown Sacramento since January 2001; the high topped out at 42.
The fog is linked to all our ground moisture, thanks to recent rains. Lack of wind and sun keeps the fog trapped close to the ground. And that fog creates ideal conditions for gray mold.
Gray mold – which actually looks more tan or brown on the rosebud – needs moisture for growth in plant tissues, particularly tender flower petals. To prevent outbreaks, keep flower buds dry. That’s all but impossible on damp, foggy days.
Thanks to dry and warm fall weather, I had dozens of rose buds in my garden and was hoping to make some Christmas bouquets. But after so much fog and frosty nights, I’ll have few if any roses for my holiday table.
Gray mold starts out looking like pink measles or brownish water spots on light-colored flowers. Those brown spots rapidly grow until the fungus consumes the whole petal. The flower never fully opens.
Another victim to gray mold this season: Poinsettias. If left outside, they turn to mush.
Gray mold also attacks African violet, asters, begonia, carnation, chrysanthemum, cyclamen, cymbidium, gerbera, geranium, gladiolus, hydrangea, marigolds, orchids, petunia, primrose, ranunculus, snapdragon, zinnias and many other garden favorites.
According to UC Integrated Pest Management program, the best control of gray mold is “good sanitation.” Clip off infected blooms, put them in a plastic bag and dispose of them in the trash. Do not compost them; that just recycles the spores back into the garden. Pick up fallen blooms and petals around the bush and dispose of them, too.
(Since this is already pruning time, I’ll remove those infected blooms in a pass through my garden before I tackle pruning the canes.)
After pruning, rake out old mulch and fallen foliage. (This contains other fungal spores, too, for powdery mildew, rust, black spot and other rose diseases.) Then, dispose of that old mulch and replace it with fresh mulch.
For more information on gray mold, check out these pest notes from UC IPM: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r280100511.html
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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