Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Penstemon leaves getting red blotches

NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
in Plants
My penstemon Raven seem to be developing these red blotches, is is anything to be concerned about? I ask because one of them got this badly (with a sort of dark aureole around the blotches, not on these ones so far) and failed to thrive...

Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
«1

Posts

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Hi folks,

    Sorry to bump my own post but the red spots are spreading! Doesn’t look quite like other pics of Penstemon rust online but could it be this, or another fungal infection? I suspect fungal as all other online plants for a certain nursery got powdery mildew when plants from another nursery grown in the same conditions were all healthy...

    Im not sure these plants will grow out of it, so any suggestions for treatment?
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Sorry @Nollie, l have had a search around as well, but can't really find anything that looks like that.
    My first instinct was that it was something to do with lower overnight temperatures,  but l don't suppose that applies much to you !
    Is there anything on the underside of the leaves, any lurking creature? 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Oh thanks for looking @AnniD, appreciated. no there are no visible beasties on the underside and these were protected until last frosts (a good while ago now), night temps been fine, so I’m a bit stumped as to what to do, if anything, with them!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Will they be dark red or purple penstemons? Some of my darker ones have blotches on the leaves. That's the way they are. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Oh, Brill, thanks for doing that @AnniD, really appreciated! Temps have been fine, but I had another look at the back of the leaves and you are right, there are teeny tiny, less than half a mm sized specks, which I thought was just part of the maybe rust - until one moved!!  I will try water spray with a smidge of eco soap and see if that works for starters.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Sorry double post, thought I had lost the first one, then was peering again inbetween!

    Yes  they are Raven, @B3 but definitely something moving...


    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Well at least you've identified the problem before it got out of hand😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I will take it in hand right now  ;)

    Yet another pesky pest to add to my ever-growing list.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Finger crossed it works @Nollie. I'd be interested in the outcome  :)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I was scrolling quickly through my phone without my specs ... I could’ve 
    sworn the thread title was about ‘postmen's legs getting red blotches’  🙄 :flushed:

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





Sign In or Register to comment.