Peonies are amazing perennials, which during flowering become a real decoration of the garden. Plants are not susceptible to diseases, but improper care of flowers can cause the development of pathologies. It is important to systematically inspect the bushes of decorative culture. If peonies are affected by one disease or another, rescue measures should be taken and plantations should be treated.
Symptoms indicating that the plant is sick
Diseases of peonies often cause the death of bushes. That is why it is important to pay attention to flowers in order to take timely measures in case of a disease. The presence of brown and red spots on the leaf plates or on the edges of the green mass indicates the defeat of peonies with a fungal infection. If a white coating forms in the upper part of the leaves, this indicates that the perennial has been affected by powdery mildew.
Affected Perennial Bush
The gray rot, which leads to the death of the plant, can be recognized at an early stage, when the young shoots of the crop begin to wither. Gradually, grayish formations that are observed on any organ of culture will be added to the symptoms. Also, brown spots, concentrated around the peduncles in the region of the root neck, indicate the disease. Curly foliage may occur.
Note! Viral disease manifests itself as spotting, light stripes and the occurrence of necrotic inclusions.
Often, viral diseases affect the plant against the background of:
- neighborhood with sick vegetable and fruit crops;
- contact with garden equipment that came into contact with diseased bushes;
- contact with contaminated soil;
- invasion of parasites.
Why do not peonies buds bloom? Often the cause of trouble becomes frequent waterlogging of the soil and the defeat of the bushes with a viral disease.
The main diseases of peonies and methods of treatment
It is worth considering the most common peony diseases and their treatment, leaf curl and ways to solve the problem.
Rust
Rust can be distinguished from other ailments by a number of symptoms, namely the appearance of brown, orange or reddish spots-pads, which consist of mushroom spores and can soon turn completely red. Foliage can begin to blush quickly. Viral infection is rapidly transmitted to neighboring bushes.
To cope with the disease, it is necessary to prevent the further spread of spores. To this end, cut diseased foliage and burn it. They also spray plants with one percent Bordeaux fluid.
Lemoine's disease
Why do peonies fade? Often the cause becomes ailment Lemoine. Specialists cannot name the exact cause of Lemoine's disease. The damage to the bushes is indicated by:
- crushing plants;
- underdevelopment of shoots;
- lack of flowering;
- bloating on the root system.
Note! Often, a grower confuses Lemoine's disease with damage to the bushes with a gall nematode.
Affected bushes cannot be cured. It is recommended to dig plants from the flowerbed as soon as possible so that the disease does not have time to spread to other bushes.
Gray rot
Gray rot is considered the most dangerous ailment, which in a short period of time manages to hit:
- stem part;
- sheet plates;
- the buds.
The young shoots of a diseased peony begin to wither already in the spring months. Soon, the appearance of gray mold can be detected on the green mass. Around the stems near the root neck, brown spots quickly spread. Soon the peony will begin to die.
Additional Information! To cope with the disease, the affected parts are cut and removed from the site.
Sick areas are immediately cut off and destroyed. For winter, the stems of the plant should be cut short. In May, it is advisable to spray with one percent Bordeaux fluid. Also one of the methods of prevention is the fight against ants that are able to tolerate diseases. If the gray rot has already shown itself, it is necessary to treat the peonies with a 0.6% Tiram suspension and first cut off all the affected parts of the plant.
Powdery mildew on peonies
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew often affects adult bushes. Evidence of the disease is the occurrence of white plaque in the upper part of the green mass. Affected bushes do not die from the disease, but they can stop blooming. Experts recommend spraying the plantings with a 0.5% solution of soda ash diluted in equal amounts with laundry soap.
Cladosporiosis
Why do peonies dry buds? The disease often appears in early summer. On leafy plates of decorative culture, spotting of a brown, brown or dark purple hue appears. Gradually, the spots merge into one large, covering the bulk of the once green mass. Foliage begins to turn yellow, curl up and soon dries out. Also, the green mass can curl into a tube. Symptoms may appear that dried peonies buds. Darkening of the stem part and shedding of the petals is also possible. For the treatment of bushes, treatment with Bordeaux fluid is worthwhile.
Note! Spots on peony leaves can also be painted in purple tones.
Septoria
Septoria can affect not only the foliage, but also the stems. Brown or brown spots appear on both sides of the leaves. Gradually they merge and resemble one continuous light brown spot with an ash-gray tint.
Closer to July on plants you can find sporulation of mushrooms, which quickly spreads throughout the bush. Peony buds dry with foliage. Against the backdrop of an ailment, a decorative culture is not able to endure winter frosts. Mushrooms winter on foliage that has fallen. To cope with the ailment, it is worth treating the bushes with a solution of Bordeaux liquid, which should be done according to the instructions.
Signs of Septoria
Phyllosticosis
Against the background of the ailment, spots of brown shade are formed on the leaf plates located in the lower part of the bush, on which a dark purple rim is formed. The spots grow rapidly and begin to become covered with dark dots (blacken) - spores of fungi. The latter are immersed in green tissue. Foliage dries prematurely. Mushroom spores are able to winter on fallen leaves. The plant weakens, and spores on young foliage begin to sprout and infect peonies.
To combat the disease, it is worth destroying the affected areas and spraying the buds with a 4% solution of copper sulfate in the spring or summer.
Root rot
Damage to root rot is facilitated by fungi that reduce the intensity of flowering. The root system of the plant, stems and cuttings begin to rot. Most often, the grower recognizes the disease when carrying out a bush transplant. High humidity provokes the appearance of plaque:
- white tint;
- gray;
- pink.
Worth to know! The source of infection is soil or an infected rhizome. Shrubs that look weak are susceptible to root rot, as well as perennials growing in soil with high acidity.
To cope with root rot, it is necessary to remove the affected roots as soon as possible, cutting out the decayed part up to healthy tissue and sprinkling the cut points with a small amount of charcoal. Also, coal powder mixed with a small amount of foundationazole is excellent for processing the cut area. For 40 minutes, the root system of each bush is disinfected in a solution of foundationazole or copper sulfate. Bushes are planted in a new flowerbed.
Leaf mosaic
The damage to plants by a viral disease is indicated by the appearance of spots on the foliage. In the case of a circular mosaic, the foliage is quickly covered with stripes of a light green palette, alternating with dark green stripes. Small necrotic spots may appear. Mosaic leaf sheets cannot be treated. Affected specimens are dug up and burned.
Mosaic foliage
Verticillus wilting
The disease affects the bushes during flowering. The foliage and stems of the bushes begin to fade quickly. The causative agent penetrates the culture. To determine the wilting and understanding why the peony leaves curl, it is worth paying attention to the cross sections of the shoots. If the vessels in this area darken, then the bush is affected by wilting. It is almost impossible to cope with the disease, since the pathogen hibernates in the region of the root neck and in the spring again harms the health of the plant, which managed to bloom. Affected bushes are dug up and burned. The place where the bushes grew is treated with formalin.
Peony Disease Prevention
To prevent the occurrence of various ailments of peonies, adhere to preventive measures:
- it is important to properly water the crop, loosen the soil and make fertilizing;
- only healthy seedlings are planted in the ground;
- give preference to varieties of peonies that are resistant to disease;
- chemical treatment of plantings is carried out every season;
- garden tools should be kept clean.
Symptoms indicating that the plant was attacked by pests
The following symptoms may signal the appearance of pests:
- Eaten flower petals, which indicates the presence of bronze flowers.
- Poor growth and lack of flowering, the formation on the root system of swellings in which the pests live. Such symptomatology is inherent in the defeat of the bushes by gall nematodes.
- The exhaustion of buds immediately after blooming indicates the presence of scoops on the plant.
- Eaten petals and foliage, indicates an invasion of ants.
- Withering, in which the foliage begins to curl, and the buds eat up. You can be sure that the flowers are attacked by thrips and aphids.
Peony leaves curl, what should I do? The reason most often is the invasion of aphids and thrips on the plant. It is important to spray the bushes with special preparations as soon as possible.
Common pests on peonies and methods of dealing with them
It is worth familiarizing yourself with the most common pion pests and a description of how to deal with them.
May beetles or bronzes
Insects are painted in golden yellow tones. They carefully eat leaf plates, stems and buds. To combat, it is necessary to treat the plants with preparations that repel the pest. It is important to collect beetles from flowers by hand.
May beetles
Aphid
Small parasites are painted in green tones. As a rule, they are concentrated in the upper shoot area. Sucking juices from flowers, they contribute to the withering of the decorative culture. To cope with aphids, peonies are treated with Actellik or Fitoverm preparations.
Gall nematodes
Swelling of the roots and their damage indicates the invasion of nematodes. To cope with parasites and to avoid the spread of pests in neighboring bushes, the affected plant is dug up and burned.
Additional Information! The soil in which the affected bush grew is treated with Formalin.
Hop worm
Hop thin worms feed on the root system of plants, which causes the cessation of perennial growth, rapid wilting and the immediate death of the bush. To eliminate thin strands, it is advisable to carry out the processing of flowers with the spark.
Thrips
Thrips are small insects painted black. Especially dangerous are parasites that suck out juices from foliage during the growing season. Thrips is extremely difficult to detect on peonies because of their small size. To cope with the invasion of parasites, peonies are treated with Karbofos and infusion of dandelion and yarrow.
Ants
Peony buds secrete sugar syrup. This feature attracts ants, which are happy to enjoy the plant. Insects not only drink syrup, but also eat up leaf plates. They begin to dry. To cope with them, they carry out soil treatment near peonies and leaf plates with a repellent.
Peony ants
Pest Prevention
With the onset of spring, it is important to take preventative measures that will help to avoid the invasion of pests and the defeat of peonies by diseases. It is necessary to treat perennials with fungicidal agents several times, namely:
- at the time of germination;
- during budding;
- after completion of the flowering period.
It is advisable to use drugs of the type:
- Maxim;
- Bordeaux fluid;
- Topaz
- Fundazole;
- copper oxychloride.
Note! In order to spray 1 adult bush, you need to prepare 2 liters of solution.
Peonies are plants that delight with lush and plentiful flowering. It is important to properly care for the culture and systematically inspect the flower beds, which will make it possible to timely detect the manifestation of diseases. This will allow you to quickly take measures to save the flowers, which are considered a real decoration of the garden.
