Peony Blight
Peony Blight  Peony blight or peony wilt is fungal disease that persists in the soil, but can also survive on plant debris. This fungus thrives in humid conditions. Susceptible Plants- Peony, Lily of the Valley Symptoms- In early spring peony blight may cause young stalks to suddenly wilt and fall over. Young buds turn black and dry up . Larger buds that become infected later in the spring turn brown and become covered with a brown or gray mass of fungal spores Flowers may fail to open. Usually the stalks below infected buds and flowers are rotted for short distances below the necks. Large, irregular, dark brown blotches may also occur on the leaves. In severe cases, crown and root rot may occur; however, these symptoms are not as common as aboveground symptoms. In wet weather the diseased plant parts soon become covered with a grayish, felt-like growth of fungus spores. Small, black sclerotia may form on the base of infected stalks or in other invaded portions of plants that have fallen to the grounhttps://www.advancedwebsitebuilder.com/administrator/index.php?component=template&page=wce.editor.php&File=/XML/peonyblight.xmld. The causal fungus overwinters in this sclerotial stage. Bud and flower symptoms of peony blight are often confused with injury from the sucking insect, such as thrips. If thrips are the cause of bud or flower symptoms, these insects can usually be shaken from among the petals onto a piece of paper. The presence of tiny, orange, scurrying insects barely visible to the naked eye is evidence of thrips injury. Thrips do not cause the leaf blotches or stem rot associated with Botrytis blight. Prevention and Control- Space the plants widely to promote good airflow. Plants that are infected should be cut to ground level in the autumn. Clear away all diseased plant debris. Carefully remove a layer of topsoil around the infected plants and replace with fresh soil. Proper garden sanitary measures are the most effective means of control of peony blight.
Fungicide Control- Copper 4E Fungicide
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