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Diseased honeysuckle
sandracrawford56
Posts: 23
Hi does anyone have any suggestions as to what is the problem here please ?
This is newly planted this year has been growing ok but is now clearly diseased. This black is on most of the leaves but it still seems to be growing ok??
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Posts
Powdery mildew . Honeysuckles are susceptible to powdery mildew when they're too dry at the roots. They need a lot of watering, especially when they're planted at the base of a wall.
I would give it a bucket full of water three times a week, whether it rains or not, from now until the end of September.
Start doing the same again at the beginning of March right through to September every year and also in March give it a sprinkling of Fish Blood and Bone as directed on the pack.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Almost certainly one of the Black spot fungus which affect almost every plant there is, Sometimes along with mildew a sign of the plant being too dry at the roots. If it is newly planted then the roots may not have managed to leave the original compost yet. Try watering to begin with. The problem is unsightly more than deadly though.
The plant doesn't look too bad actually. Quite usual for leaves to look like this at this time of year. If it's quite a young plant, keep it watered as the root system is still not established. Make sure they get some shade as climbing honeysuckles prefer shady roots that is cool and moist, and the rest grown into sun. However, if your plant is quite young, excess sun is not always going to help, so water generously for the first year, especially in the summer months. This is especially more important if you are growing from a container.
If you are training it like that, don't force them too tightly as this can cause lack of air flow and rubbing, which promotes fungal growth. In the early years, let the lower branches roam a little to allow them enough strength to start climbing. Contorting them too early will mean you have lots of bare stems and lack of leaves.
Last edited: 01 August 2017 16:58:42
Watering yes but also, if you can, take the trellis down when the plant is dormant - late autumn or early winter - and attach battens to the wall then screw the trellis to those. This will allow air flow around and behind and will make disease less likely as well as training more easy.
Good point, the trellis is so close against the wall, some stems are growing too tightly behind the trellis. Maybe this is not intentional, but it is not ideal growing conditions for this plant. When tying in, tie loosely maybe with a figure of eight. Your branches can slide a bit and have some air flower between trellis/post.
Thanks everyone some good points there will hopefully be able to sort it out quite easily.