Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Cultivation Problems => Topic started by: jomowi on February 06, 2010, 06:10:28 PM
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I have several large colonies of Galanthus 'Fred's Giant'. In recent years, usually as the leaves emerge from the growing sheath they get covered in white mould (Botrytus ?). The flowering stem rots and dies. The problem does not relate to overcrowding or recent lifting of the clumps. I have tried planting the bulbs in sharp sand without success. This year most clumps were above ground two weeks ago and looked well. When they emerged from the latest 10 days of snow again I found many 1 cm high rotting masses. The bulbs are unaffected but without their leaves for several years they will eventually die. My only answer is to drench with systemic fungicide ('Fungus Fighter'), if I get the timing right I have even saved leaves. I think the infection starts from the growing sheath. I am reluctant to drench in the absence of infection. Any suggestions appreciated. Only 'Fred's Giant' is affected
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Brian,
sadly you have such troubles.
Photos would be be helpful for further judgement.
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A guy in America with a big collection of snowdrops had problems with snow destroying emerging snowdrops. I cant remember what happened to the plants. He now grows his under cover of some sort
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A guy in America with a big collection of snowdrops had problems with snow destroying emerging snowdrops. I cant remember what happened to the plants. He now grows his under cover of some sort
I've never witnessed anything like that over the years. We've had winters with snowcover from November till April, even a freak late May snow and snowdrops have never been bothered by any of it. Puzzling.
johnw
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I'd be pretty shocked too if the snow was the problem given that many Galanthus species grow wild in areas with considerable snow cover in winter. Maybe it is just this cultivar and it is time to move on and replace it. It would certainly be better than dousing the whole area with fungicides!
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I'm only telling you what he told me. I'll be speaking to him soon and ask him what actually happens
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Roma will be able to refresh our memories of this, I'm sure.... but wasn't Fred's Giant originally growing (found?) deep in the Cruickshank Arboretum?
My point is that perhaps it really prefers the deeper cover of a woodland setting
(where it will be kept drier) and is not tolerant of the extra damp from the type of wet snowy winters we have been experiencing lately?
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My remedy for sick snowdrops in small numbers is to dig them up, clean them up, spray them with whatever fungicide you have available, pot them up in large pots, isolate them in another part of the garden and keep the pots in shade during the summer. This has proved to be surprisingly effective.
If you listen to today's (7th Feb) Gardener's Question Time, Bob Flowerdew puts forward a treatment for botrytis you could try if your garden is not too exposed!
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Oh, yes. wee touched on that already :D
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Oh, yes. wee touched on that already :D
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My remedy for sick snowdrops in small numbers is to dig them up, clean them up, spray them with whatever fungicide you have available, pot them up in large pots, isolate them in another part of the garden and keep the pots in shade during the summer. This has proved to be surprisingly effective.
That's my option too, unless I feel I can bin them.
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Tried the dig, clean and replant in a clean place option, even separating the damaged plants from the others, work well, couple of years at least trouble free. Then more problems. Sorry no photos, I have already treated them with fungicide and saved many plants. I am going to try a prophylactic treatment with good old Cheshunt compound i.e. copper fungicide, its cheap and still available. Maggie if you recall our garden is rather shady, and very rich in compost/ organic matter, just a very good woodland soil. 'Fred's Giant' does very well and can multiply very fast, thence the need to lift regularly. Snow in itself is not the cause, this year it just hid the onset of problems. Never seen the problem on any other snowdrops.
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2 photographs of infected 'Fred's Giant'. They have been treated with systemic fungicide and some have produced healthy looking leaves. The white fungal fluff can be seen round some stems.
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Brian,
What is the drain cover in the background of the photograph? If, by chance, it is part of your sewage system there is the possibility of some overflow onto the ground around the bulbs and this could certainly lead to fungal infections.
Just a thought.
Paddy
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Paddy, not a drain, just a slate stepping stone. No drains in the back garden at all
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It's very hard to see where this fungal infection is coming from. Certainly a very odd one.
Paddy
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I have just found the same nasty stuff on some nivalis in a raised bed in my garden today. I have never seen it before. The area gets the least sun of my snowdrop beds. It looks as if it may have come from the leafmould mulch. Perhaps the leafmould has been contaminated or has just kept things too moist??
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I have also noticed this for the first time today in a patch of G. Cedric's Prolific. I had a quick look in the Snowdrop book and it mentioned grey mould Botrytis galanthina. It say's wet winters and snow damage start it off. It mentions treatment with a fungicide, no name given. It has left me with quite a few gaps, if I wanted to fill them would I have to remove the soil first, just in case?
Thanks
Jane
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Jane,
The weather conditions we have experienced this spring would have contributed to a development of such a mould with heavy frosts and snow damaging new growth leaving shoots mushy and open to infection. I think any general fungicide would be helpful perhaps something like Dithane with is usually used on potatoes and is available in larger quantities at a reasonable price. There is another which I have used on potatoes which is quite effective on plants which have already become infected, used on potatoes where blight has already begun to show. This one is named Brestin, to the best of my recollection as I haven't used it in several years - prevention is better than cure.
Paddy.
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I found an infected Cedric's Prolific today and some dodgy limp Narcissus leaves. All Galanthus and Narcissus spayed today with fungicide
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Thaks Paddy, I shall have to try and get hold of Dithane to give the patch a going over.
Jane
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On the basis of my experience I suggest a drench round the stems with a systemic fungicide or an anti damping off copper fungicide. I think the problem starts in the sheath that protects the emerging stems and starts to die when its job is done.
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I quite agree with Brian that a drenching rather than a spraying would serve better. The soil as well as the plants would be treated by a drenching from a watering can of the fungicide. Once the stems/leaves have started their rotting, it's doubtful if a systemic spray would travel right through the plants from top to bulbs and roots, in order to control the problem.
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I've saw problems in two gardens today where a mulch was added during the last week or so. I some cases leaves were partially buried. What's the purpose of the sheath on bulbs? Is it to protect leaf bases?
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I have had Botrytis both this year and last year. Both attacks followed a 'wet' snowfall. I have been paying particular attention to the plants this year given last year's infection and they were OK until Sunday when I noticed a patch of nivalis with the flowers lying prostrate. A quick visual inspection showed the tell-tale signs of Botrytis.
I haven't applied any mulch, compost or feed of any kind. They have been fine up until last year. The infection last year got in to a number of choice bulbs but mainly infected nivalis with most of my nivalis bulbs showing some signs of damage. I treated them last year and the choice bulbs were removed and planted in pots. They have emerged unscathed this year and most are flowering. Most infected nivalis were removed and the soil replaced. This has cut down the severity so far but I fully expect this to get worse as the season progresses.
For me it is linked to the wet snowfall that we have experienced in the last week or so. The powdery snow that we had earlier in the year didn't seem to inflict any damage. I suspect that the snow acts as a blanket and the moist conditions under the snow allow the Botrytis to multiply and infect the bulbs. Next year I will spray following any wet snow and hopefully that will contain it.
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Sadly this is what has happened to Pat Mason, possibly damage to the scape allowing botyrtis in.
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I've saw problems in two gardens today where a mulch was added during the last week or so. I some cases leaves were partially buried. What's the purpose of the sheath on bulbs? Is it to protect leaf bases?
The sheath has no purpose once the leaves have expanded. It keeps the leaves held tight together as they push up through the soil, making them stronger together than they would be separately. I suppose it does help keep the leaves more upright once they're through the soil and so help them rise above any other vegetation, to the light, but the main purpose is during the pushing up through the soil phase.
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Sadly this is what has happened to Pat Mason, possibly damage to the scape allowing botyrtis in.
Brian, that's particularly miserable indeed. The bulb may be fine though I suppose you will have to remove the damaged foliage lower down and drench with an anti-fungicide.
Best wishes with it, Paddy
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Terrible luck Brian. I had much the same thing happen last autumn with Percy Picton. It started to flush out and the whole shoot fell over. I suspect freeze damage in the pot in the UK. I dug the bulb up last weekend and the only thing left was the central core. Doubly distressing as it was a replacement from a very reputable grower.
Great shots, especially Wasp.
Martin - very interesting to learn about the sheath's role.
johnw
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Terrible luck Brian. I had much the same thing happen last autumn with Percy Picton. I dug the bulb up last weekend and the only thing left was the central core. Doubly distressing as it was a replacement from a very reputable grower.
johnw
I think your luck is far worse John, to have been smitten twice on one cultivar. My Percy Picton had not put in an appearance for two years but has decided to come up and flower this year, cussed old .....
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Poor Pat. :(