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Honeysuckle - Mould
Tony Earp
Posts: 3
I have a well established honeysuckle which flowered beautifully 2 years ago but for the next 2 years it has started ok and then Aphid attacks the flowers and a white fungal mold attacks the leaves. The honeysuckle doesn't flower properly and seems to die off very quickly and does not last the season.
I have tried Aphid control sprays with limited success and the mold problem in a similar fashion.
If anyone has any ideas to make sure that this doesn't happen again next year I would be very grateful as it is a long established plant and it would be a shame for it to die.
Thank you
Tony Earp
0
Posts
Mildew is associated with dryness at the roots. You may need to pour a few dozen gallons of water on the plant during dry periods.
Is it in the ground Tony?
They do need a lot of moisture to keep them happy as Berghill says.
If they're stressed - as yours is - it makes them more vulnerable to attacks from pests and diseases too. Bit of shade (especially at the base) and water really well as indicated above. It's hard to overwater them. A mulch after that is also beneficial to help prevent moisture loss.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you both for your help. This makes sense. The plant is in the ground with the roots under the decking so are in the shade and the honeysuckle climbs up over the decking.
It's probably very dry under that decking. Give your honeysuckle two buckets of water on the roots three times a week, whether if rains or not, from early March until mid September. I'm sure that will help prevent the plant from being stressed which is making it susceptible to powdery mildew.
stop spraying and hang feeders to encourage bluetits and other birds into the area, they'll eat the aphids and you'll have a much healthier plant
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Brilliant thank you .. We have bird feeders next to them so that will help. Thank you all for your help I will get on it with the water and fingers crossed next spring it will be a lot happier.