My 4-year-old pee-gee hydrangea has recently developed a lot of brown & black spots on the leaves. I think that it might be a fungal condition called "anthracnose". Has anyone had any experience with this?
Can I use the same anti-fungus preparation that I used to get rid of black sopt on my roses? It was a mixture of baking soda and dish soap in water.
I got some good advice on this problem from a local celebrity: Frank Ferragine (aka Frankie Flowers).
He's the Weather & Gardening Specialist on Toronto's "Breakfast Television" show. If you'd like to contact him about your gardening concerns try: frankieflowers@chumtv.com
Antracnose is a common fungal disease which attacks everything from lawns to trees and almost every plant between. It has become a very large problem in our area with the weather patterns which we have been "enjoying" over the past few years. You can take preventative measures to fight against it. A fungicide called Captan applied at regular intervals has proven to be very successful at keeping this disease at bay.
As a rule, fungicides are usually some of the least toxic pesticides, and very user friendly. Captan however is the exception to this rule. It is the only fungicide that I know of that carries a "danger" signal word. Make sure you read the label very well, and follow the safety procedures.
Do not mix or spray this substance if it is very windy as the chemical can do some serious eye damage if blown into your face. (this is where it gets its "danger"signal word from.
Always use rubber gloves when mixing and avoid touching anything else (face or food) until you are done making your application.
It sounds scary, but as long as you use a bit of common sense and follow the labels directions you will be okay.
Another fungicide which can help but not as well as Captan, and that is MUCH more user friendly would be Mankozeb. This one has the ability to fight against the disease, but does not have the long term protection that Captan offers.
I have a Japanese maple "Oregon sunset" that is suffering from anthracnose infestation. I was advised from the local nursery to use fung-onil. I administered the first dose this evening.
Does anyone have advice for me on this issue? I'm a bit new to gardening in general and I was curious if this is a difficult disease to cure. The majority of the leaves are infected. Does anyone have experience using the above product. Any feedback would be appreciated.