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Honeysuckle dying
EMILY CHINN
Posts: 3
Hi
I acquired a honeysuckle when I moved in 3.5 years ago. It was in a pot and had grown and through and cracked the pot. It was about 6ft at time. My Mum planted it in the ground with new compost etc.
Over the last two years it has grown but has a disease, it had it last year but didn't know what to do. It is still growing and is about 4ft. However it has black spots on the leaves with some white areas, some leaves drop like this and others mainly at the bottom are turning brown and dry and then dropping. The start of the year the plant looks healthly and is growing, so confused.
Please help
Regards
Emily
0
Posts
Hi Emily - it has honeysuckle powdery mildew. It attacks honeysuckles which are struggling a bit, usually because it's got too dry and warm at the roots. They need moist and cool roots.
Give it a feed with Fish Blood & Bone (as directed on the pack) and give it a good watering. Then mulch with garden compost or well-rotted manure (don't let the manure touch the stems). If the area around the honeysuckle roots gets direct sun at any time find a way to shade it.
All that will give the honeysuckle the strength to outgrow the condition.
My new honeysuckle has done exactly the same and lost all its leaves due to mildew because the garden centre had allowed the pot to dry out (that's how I got it cheap). However, I've treated it as above, and it is now putting on healthy new growth.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you. I'm off to get some fish and bone now!
No need for additional nitrogen - that will result in soft growth which will be prone to more disease.
Fish, Blood and Bone is an organic balanced fertiliser containing roughly equal amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We'll have to disagree on that one Buddyboy
- in my experience honeysuckle leaves show purplish-black blotches prior to the development of the white powdery bloom for which Powdery Mildew is well known. This fungal mycellium engulfs the leaves which frequently become distorted.
Emily says the plant is growing. There are no indications of nitrogen deficiency.
Ad hoc applications of nitrogen, rather than a balanced fertiliser, can cause other problems for the plant and I would only advise doing this following a proper analysis of the soil's fertility.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Don't disagree with Buddy Boy Dove, he knows everything
In the sticks near Peterborough
Nut
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Sound theory Mike - which is exactly why I recommended the use of the organic slow-release FB&B to feed the soil long-term after the planting problems have been remedied, rather than to dose it up with quick-acting nitrogen.
Farmers have learnt to their cost that applying heavy doses of nitrogen on crops results in soft lush growth which is frequently followed by mildew which they then have to spray with fungicide.
It works the same with garden plants.
Growing plants 'hard' makes them stronger and more resistant to disease.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
OK I'm a little confused I have bought the Fish blood and bone, but not used as yet, Was planning on Garden day tomorrow.
The plant was 6ft but when my Mum re planted it from the undersized pot directly to the ground she cut it right back to a few feet. There has been 2 Summers since, last year and this, last year it grew taller and this year taller again and it is now about 4ft.
I have used Tomato feed which I think is nitrogen based on rather looking tried and yellow topia trees before and it has worked a treat.
Is it Fish and bone, nitrogen or fungicide?
Thanks
Emily