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miagardener
- Senior Member
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- Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:53 am
- Location: Miami, FL
Problems with Marigolds & Sunflowers. Disease? Pest
My marigolds are in full bloom and were absolutely gorgeous when they first came up, they had thick, luscious dark green leaves. Now, the leaves are becoming brown, spotted with little dots of white, and I noticed that as soon as my sunflowers sprouted, they started getting the same thing. My double purple datura meteloids also have the white spots. I've been spraying them with a soapy water mix but I don't know if it's helping. What could be ruining my beautiful plants? They're fed and watered and very well taken care of, I tend to my garden every morning. Please help save my plants!! Thanks.
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Have you examined the leaves very closely?
In the last photo, I see similarities to my sunflowers when they get lace bugs. They are tiny clear-winged bugs that suck juice from the underside of the leaves. their young clusters around the adult. I always know when they arrive because the ants start marching up and down the sunflowers. My sunflowers also always get treehopper bugs which look like brown thorn attached to the underside rib of the leaves. There is a colorful leaf hopper that likes sunflowers too -- lime green with wild red and aqua stripes.
I can't tell from the photos but another pest that often attack marigolds is red spider mites. -- very tiny reddish specks on the underside, cluster of tiny white spots on leaves visible from the upper side, general loss of green color.
In the large leaved plant photo (#3), the damage reminds me of when the soapy water has collected at the tip of the leaf and dried, concentrating the formula. But if that is sunflower, sunflower leaves tend to get that kind of blemished leaves when bird poop burns them.
Make sure you are not spraying when the sun is going to shine on them either. Soapy water is not a preventive but a smothering action so you can wash your plants off with plain water after about 15 minutes.
In the last photo, I see similarities to my sunflowers when they get lace bugs. They are tiny clear-winged bugs that suck juice from the underside of the leaves. their young clusters around the adult. I always know when they arrive because the ants start marching up and down the sunflowers. My sunflowers also always get treehopper bugs which look like brown thorn attached to the underside rib of the leaves. There is a colorful leaf hopper that likes sunflowers too -- lime green with wild red and aqua stripes.
I can't tell from the photos but another pest that often attack marigolds is red spider mites. -- very tiny reddish specks on the underside, cluster of tiny white spots on leaves visible from the upper side, general loss of green color.
In the large leaved plant photo (#3), the damage reminds me of when the soapy water has collected at the tip of the leaf and dried, concentrating the formula. But if that is sunflower, sunflower leaves tend to get that kind of blemished leaves when bird poop burns them.
Make sure you are not spraying when the sun is going to shine on them either. Soapy water is not a preventive but a smothering action so you can wash your plants off with plain water after about 15 minutes.
Last edited by applestar on Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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miagardener
- Senior Member
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:53 am
- Location: Miami, FL
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miagardener
- Senior Member
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:53 am
- Location: Miami, FL
Or it has to be Verticillium wilt. I am SO glad I am moving in 6 weeks. I think the soil here was bad when I got here, it only happens to plants planted in certain spots, and certain species (marigolds, morning glories and sunflowers). It seems the best thing to do is just to dig up the plant and start over with fresh soil? But why would this be affecting my POT grown sunflowers? 