aquilegia

hi,everyone,
i sowed some aquilegia about two years ago ,they are now fully grown,i had lovely flowers on them this year,but,recently the leaves have turned a white colour,its the same on my outdoor and greenhouse plants, what is it and how would i get rid of it
many thanks

 

Probably mildew, fairly widesspread this year because of the weather conditions. Water with a systemic fungicide.

 

as you'll generally get new growth from the base, I'd try cutting it down to the new leaves if Palustris' advice doesn't work (It should, though!!!)

Powdery mildew has been incredibly wide-spread this year - I've seen it on plants that I didn't know were susceptible to it.

If all else fails, make sure you get seeds!!

 

thank you both, i will give it a go

 

My problem is no the mildew but loss of leaves on one of two Aquilegias - will need to attack with slug bait I think...............all sees very strange to me.

 

chobart - I wouldn'tt worry about it. Aquilegias are a flower of the spring,and leaves being eaten at this time of year, close to when they would die back normally, is no great problem.

What I would suggest is protecting them next spring when the first basal growth starts - not with slug pellets, but with more natural controls. I hope you have collected their seed as well - they can produce some lovely sprots.

 

As Fran says Chobart, no real problem at this time of year, although quite unsightly to be sure! Yes, rather than using slug pellets there are many other, more favourable methods to "control" the slug munching. There is a thread on the G.C. website discussing the philosophy of slugs controlling slugs posted by Hornbeam:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/291feature1.shtml


In addition to which, I've just found this site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/291feature1.shtml

Wouldn't really recommend this method myself but is very interesting to learn about caffeine's potential.

Kind regards
Roy

 

Powdery mildew is unsightly and I just remove and burn infected leaves to stop the spores from spreading. Loss of leaves from aquielgias and other plants is perfectly natural at this time of year. It is autumn after all. Oh what misplaced faith people have in slug pellets and other chemical nasties!! Makes be laugh if it wasn't so tragic.

 

And so say all of us Hornbeam!

Kind regards to you!
Roy

 

Well, I've tried all kinds of methods to kill slugs and snails and found that pellets are the only really effective way. Reading the above BBC article enforced that opinion, the author gives altenatives, but they are not great. e.g. water the garden in the morning, plants that slugs don't like to eat.

A slug pub contained 3 slugs for me one night, whereas a handful of pellets the next night did untold damage to the local slug and snail population.

Has anybody seen a dead slug being eaten by another animal? Put salt on a slug, it will still be there in the morning.

I have a large population of frogs in my garden and rely heavily upon them to keep the population of slugs down. To be fair, they do a good job, but sometimes they need a little help and that is when the pellets come into play.

 

Hi Rich, I swear by cheap coffee sprayed onto vulnerable plants - works for me & I wouldn't touch slug pellets again after finding a dying hedgehog that the RSPCA confirmed had eaten a poisoned mollusc - (the slugs/snails don't die immediately on ingesting pellets, unfortunately)
But, then I garden organically, and rarely have trouble with any other kinds of pests, as the gardens I work in are all pretty well balanced now, not too mention not wanting to expose my self, (nor my family) to noxious chemicals either via ornamental or edible plants. There's a lot to be said for "nipping a problem in the bud"!

 

Hi Bayleaf - Haven't heard about the coffee trick before - do you make up a normal strength or strong strength solution? Does it only last whilst there is no rain????

........ mind you, no amount of slug bait/ beer/ salt or whatever would have any effect on the HUGE fake slug my darling youngest keeps leaving in different places around the house (and he calmly walked up to me Sunday from the garden "look at what I found Mummy" and plopped it in my lap!!!!!! ) - AND I fall for it EVERY time!!!! Bless his little cotton socks.......

 

Hi Honey Bee
Aren't kids great? :rolleyes:
I use the cheapest, nastiest coffee & mix 4 tablespoons into a litre handsprayer with barely warm water - spray your vulnerable plants every evening for a week, then re-apply after rain (don't bother spraying fresh coffee - the blighters like the good stuff & will think you are treating them to something to finish off their meal )
Your garden will smell weird for a bit, but it soon passes!
You can also use coffee grounds around the base of plants that are more isolated - its a waste of time using barrier methods around plants that are touching, as they just slime from leaf to leaf!

 

Did he send the carcass for a post mortem or was this just a guess?

 

Oh you cynic, Rich!!!

On the whole, I put plants that I know are slug magnets into containers, like hostas. Otherwise, barriers, like sharp gravel, etc, or, if it's something that you can't protect that way - simply do without those plants!

I've tried all sorts of things, but not the coffee one - must try it out! Do you suppose that ersatz-coffee would work? It's REALLY cheap!! :D :D :D