Fungal rusts have been pretty prolific this year, which is not surprising, as they thrive in damp and muggy conditions.
Fungal rusts have been pretty prolific this year, which is not surprising, as they thrive in damp and muggy conditions.The film of moisture left on foliage after rainfall provides the perfect conditions for rust spores to germinate. Infections such as rose rust and hollyhock rust are then quick to establish.
At the beginning of summer I was given samples of pear foliage with rust on them. Interestingly, my pear trees haven't been affected this year, which is surprising as the weather conditions have been perfect for rust and the trees were quite badly affected last year.
However, other plants haven't been so lucky. Earlier this year, my kids bought some beautiful bright lemon-yellow snapdragons from the local market. The plants were soon ruined. We also raised some snapdragons from seed, but these plants are, as yet, still healthy. I hope I removed and discarded the affected plants quickly enough to prevent my home-grown plants succumbing to the same fate.
As much as I encourage my kids to buy plants, I will make sure none of us buys snapdragons again. I've strong suspicions that they harboured the infection when we bought them.
Now, in my household, 'rust patrol' has become a regular feature of daily life. With secateurs and a hand trowel at the ready, we're out removing leaves or even whole plants to prevent the fungal infection spreading. We then either burn affected plants or put them in the bin. Hopefully the weather will dry up a bit. I've got my fingers crossed for more sun and wind - drier conditions and improved air circulation should help control the infection without the need to resort to using a spray.
See more comments...
