Hi Julie, I’m sorry that your summer blooms look so ugly. That could indicate an insect problem. I’m so sorry that your hydrangea are afflicted with something. Hi Susanna, I’m sorry that your hydrangea has an infection. I’m so sorry that your hydrangeas are having such a variety of problems. This is mysterious. Your property sounds quite delightful with so many hydrangeas! This post was very informative. Fifteen different viruses afflict hydrangeas! Thank you so much Helga! J. of Phytopathology – Corynespora, Cercospora, I didn’t fertilize but it’s pretty wet this year. This spring I removed all the dead flowers and leaves and I was surprised to see some new shoots and flower buds. Plus, using the same one repeatedly can cause resistance. Powdery mildew, a fungal disease, is a common disease for all but the oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Bigleaf hydrangea prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. A few of the leaves have also turned whitish in spots. Don’t water late in the day, and only water at the roots, so you don’t get the flowers and leaves wet. A highly contiguous fungal disease, powdery mildew affects many different species of plants, including hydrangeas. I planted one in my personal garden and it ended up being fine. Thanks so much! Early signs of this disease are small circular white spots with feathery edges scattered on the lower surface of the leaves. Please and thank you! If that is the case, flush the soil with water and let it dry for a couple days. Fortunately, this fungus usually doesn’t kill its hosts. But it continued to get worse. Last year, I started noticing the brown spotting. Hi Courtney, Your poor plants! Thank you for providing pictures! This is happening on a limelight and a strawberry vanilla hydrangea. Let us know if that helps! Jorge. Thank you. They tend to have tan centers and dark brown or purple borders (see images). Collect all the… Read more ». i would strongly suggest buying a commercial fungicide. Space them properly, and prune branches that are closely spaced. 1) Foliage discolored, brown, and dry This looks very much like an anthracnose disease to me. There are no chemical options to control this disease. What do you recommend? I would also prune off all of the infected leaves. I don’t know of any pathogens of hydrangea that would cause the total death of limbs in weeks. The stems got leggy last spring/summer just before the leaves became discolored. I don’t think that the mixture you made would be very effective against fungi. This is a pretty harmless leaf fungus with a scary name — Cercospora! 2. I have some, including a variegated variety, that don’t look awful but not especially healthy either. Be sure and disinfect your pruning shears after you are done. Hydrangea Hydrangea Printable PDF Click on images to see larger view Hydrangea is a deciduous woody ornamental shrub or climbing plant that is known for its showy clusters of flowers that come in a large variety of colors including white, lime green, pink, purple, and blue. Powdery mildew fungi also cover the flowers and new shoots of infected plants. These three are the most common viral infections that you are likely to encounter: If your hydrangea has brown spots or rings on its leaves, there is a good chance that it is infected with hydrangea ringspot virus. Hydrangea are important bacterial diseases of h quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea), H. macrophylla, and are most commonly affected by . Hi Pam, I’m so glad that you found the article useful! She holds a BS in agriculture from Cornell University, and an MS from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Other names for the disease are white canker, watery soft rot, timber rot, damping off, pink rot wilt, crown rot and several other descriptive names. Newly hatched scales (crawlers) are less than 1mm long and are pale yellow. Not a Spot! Neem oil might be a good one to use. If planted in full sun, your climbing hydrangea may develop fungal leaf spot disease. We bought these Hydrangeas few weeks ago, transplanted them and a week ago or so, they started to look bad. my father in law brought me hydrangeas for my front porch and all the sudden one of them isn’t doing well. Please don’t doubt your gardening abilities. Symptoms consisted of irregular to circular lesions, dark brown in color with gray-white centers and delimited by dark brown borders. However, the fungus quickly evolves resistance to fungicides, so it’s a battle to stay one step ahead. It starts out with lesions that are angular shaped and dark brown to purple, and it also starts from the bottom of the plant. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that is typically easy to identify; it appears on leaf surfaces and other plant parts as powdery white growth. We had a Wonderful display of flowers and vigorous growth. You can also treat this disease with liquid kelp, garlic oil, hydrogen peroxide, or compost tea. In the Autumn (Fall) we pruned the branches back by 2/3rds. Bacterial leaf spot and bacterial wilt ydrangea. Would it be possible to upload a picture of the spots? What do you think is wrong with the leaves of my hydrangeas? When a spot encounters a leaf vein, it spreads along it, forming an angular brown or black patch. However, more severe infestations can cause both wilting and root rot. White spots and cool weather with a storm immediately made me think of powdery mildew. Hydrangeas can be prone to a fungal disease that causes spots all over the leaves. That’s horrible! The center of each spot will later turn tan. It could be the conditions of your house. Thanks so much, Hello, I wonder if you can help me with my hydrangea. The fungus spreads through spores that grow on fallen hydrangea leaves. You can try to remove the eggs manually but this is a very hard option and may not be successful. Plants are usually infected a month or two before spots appear on the leaves. Some years will be worse than others depending on the weather. Hi Helga, Insects often spread viruses, so both are possible. Could you possibly post pictures? I’m so happy to hear it, and I’m glad that they are a pleasure for you now instead of a stressor. Are there brown, sunken areas around the puncture wounds? Thank you. With early detection, most of these maladies can be eliminated. / 05 April 2019. Cool weather favors many types of fungal infection, but I’m not sure if that is the case with anthracnose. Transmission can occur by knives, leaf contact, and insects like aphids. That is effective on many plants. The spots are small that typically measure 1/8 to 1/4 inches in diameter. From what I understand, there isn’t much you can do but prune back the dead limbs. It can be treated by a variety of cultural moves as well as spraying a fungicide. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. They spots appear to have a hint of red and they start from the leaf tips. Can you help? I’ve only had one variety in the past that has not. If you would like me to, I can delete your previous message. Be sure and disinfect your pruning shears periodically in 70% rubbing alcohol or diluted 10% bleach… Read more ». The white flaky stuff is on the ground under the bush, too. Since this disease appears to be more prevalent in large greenhouse or field plantings of intensively managed hydrangea, … Hydrangea Ringspot Virus. These plants are 8 yrs old. Please let us know this product works on the hydrangea. Whereas this infection is mostly prevalent in big field plantations or greenhouses of carefully managed hydrangea, outbreaks can also reach residential areas and affect your garden. Spray the leaves and stems of the hydrangeas every seven to 10 days depending on severity of the spotting. Am I too late to save… Read more », Hi Pam, What distressing pictures! LEAF SPOTS CAN LOOK VERY SIMILAR Consult with a plant pathologist/plant disease clinic Several fungi can cause leaf spots on hydrangea: Mmbaga et al. I am happy to provide more details. Hydrangeas (with the exception of white ones) are at least a little bit pH sensitive. Watering from the bottom will help keep the disease from spreading. I also realized this a.m. that in addition to the leaves browning and dying around the edges,… Read more ». Spots are normal on some hydrangea stems, but if they are new, that is definitely bad. Hopefully the new growth will come quickly. Thank you very much for your reply. The most common symptom you will see on your hydrangea is a leaf spot disease, commonly referred to as foliar symptoms. Plant 1: Pink flowers Unfortunately, that looks to me like it has anthracnose. The fungus produces large brown spots on the leaves or flowers that will become more lightly colored in the centers. Hydrangeas are known to acquire diseases such as leaf spots, blights, wilts, and powdery mildews. I have a couple of shirobana gaku ajisai that are being hit really hard with what looks like Anthracnose and some kind of leaf curl. Hydrangeas can get minor pests and diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf spots, aphids, and scale insects. If so, let us know in the comments. That would not help with powdery mildew, since it’s a fungus. From my… Read more », Hi Terence, I am so sorry to hear about your hydrangeas. However, a cool rainy spring would definitely be a problem. Daconil can work on a number of different types of fungi, and its active ingredient is chlorothalonil. Spot. Resource used: https://bit.ly/2LhKcZl It can spread throughout the plants and cause them to die back. Fascinated by the childhood discovery that plants make chemicals to defend themselves, Helga embarked on further academic study and obtained two degrees, studying plant diseases as a plant pathology major. Hi Ruth, Thank you so much! You should start by cutting out the diseased sections and disinfecting your pruning shears as you go (70% alcohol or bleach). Any more advice? However, certain pests and diseases can attack. 1) Is your Hydrangea in the bright afternoon sun by any chance? Caused by the fungus Cercospora hydrangeae, leaf spots first appear as small circular brown or purple spots near the plant’s base. Good luck, and let us know if you get rid of them. Would it be possible to post pictures? Just spray your hydrangea's foliage according to label directions with a fungicide such as liquid copper, Serenade Disease Control, Daconil, or Immunox. The spots and the browning on the leaves could be the fungal disease Cercospora left spot. I forgot to add that I am growing the Hydrangea Paniculata Pillow Talk. I think you are right that it is due to a fungus. Which spray have… Read more ». Thanks! I am in the UK, it’s been unseasonably sunny and dry so far this year, but this fungus has appeared – I’m worried it’s honey fungus but no mushrooms are apparent. Plant Pathologist, Brian McGuinness shows what bacterial leaf spot look like on hydrangea. All of these are common to spot and treat, providing you catch the disease or pest early. Bacterial Foliar Diseases of Hydrangea . White Speckled Fungus on Hydrangeas. Sulfur and copper can both act as fungicides and are effective against anthracnose on hydrangeas (except that you shouldn’t use the copper if it will be cool and moist). In acidic soil conditions (less than 6 on the pH scale) with available aluminum, you will tend to have blue and purple blooms. Hi Helga ~ I can’t tell you how pleased I was to find your site, as it’s thorough and clear without being dauntingly technical & long. Will I make a mistake to bring it into my home? Fortunately overfertilization seems to be the problem. Sanitizing your pruning tools will help to prevent the spread of this disease. Ask the people in the garden center for a fungicide with copper, chlorothalonil, or mancozeb. It seems like their stems are stung by an insect which suckles the juice, the stem shrinks and then dies! We have had an unusually cool spring with some nights in the 40s. How about the leaf curl? I just pruned more leaves and feel defeated. The infected areas would all have white patches in them. Low-maintenance landscape plantings are most susceptible to get this disease. Hi Kay, I’m sorry to hear that! Here is an article on how to deal with them: Doing Battle with Japanese Beetles: Tips for Banning Them From Your Garden Now about the flowers. I suspect that you are right about frost damage. Elephant ears are often grown for their huge, robust foliage. You are the best. We don’t know if it is a fungus or something or if it could be the result of cat urine. Predictably, leaf spot fungus covers climbing hydrangea leaves and flowers with ugly brown or gray spots. Thank you so much! Cercospora Leaf Spot. Thanks for your help. If they have a white powder on them, it’s probably powdery mildew or downy mildew. Hi Helga, It can turn whole leaves purple, which makes me think that it might be… Read more », I’m sure I can soon. If you could provide more of a description of what is going on, that would help me give you advice. I have not seen any white flies hanging around them, but we started noticing our Ruby Slippers with the same spots on lower leaves closer to the ground, after it has exploded with blooms this spring so when the fungicide didn’t work we looked to some other potential problems. Often fungicides only kill certain types of fungi, and it’s also possible that the infection could be bacterial or viral, so it is important to figure out which organism is killing your hydrangeas. Mulched a week later. If sprinklers are used, always water early in the morning to encourage rapid leaf drying. I don’t want to lose this plant that I hope to be a beautiful addition to my back yard. Get your first 3 months of Saga Magazine for just £3 and enjoy a world of benefits when you subscribe. A few things you can do immediately are to prune out the dead and damaged areas and get rid of them out of your garden. Last year I sprayed a broad spectrum insecticide/fungicide/miticide: Monterey Lawn and Garden Fruit Tree Spray Plus. Do you have any idea what it is please? This is another virus that is not transmitted by aphids. Not sure if I did not give it enough water, but there are spots on the leaves. Are the flowers okay? If you can, keep good airflow around your plants. That disease would definitely call for fungicides. Should I continue or discontinue? Thank you so much for providing the pictures and sharing your good news. The leaves are prone to several diseases which mar this ornamental appeal. Often it isn’t noticed until the spring. This limpet-like insect also feeds on acers and cherries. I’ve thinned the plants and actually have been using the neem oil on it for a few weeks and it hasn’t helped. Are there any circular lesions on the leaves? Also, drafts from a heater can cause problems, too. When the weather conditions are favorable, these areas enlarge until they cover the entire leaf surface. I potted it with the idea of bringing it into my home this winter (always bring my tree hibiscus in). Please help. Actually, I don’t think it’s powdery mildew. The leaves, buds, and growing tips will become disfigured as well. Hello, I’m having serious problems with two plants I bought last summer for large containers. Hydrangeas are easy to grow in well-drained soil, which should contain plenty of organic matter or humus. It sounds like you are doing everything right. Spotting generally begins at the base of the plant on older leaves and works its’ way up the plant. I doubt that they are spider mites. There are no chemical treatments against it at the moment. Hi, Helga! Thank you for the informative article! TIA. How to Treat White Mold This fungal disease can be quite difficult to treat, as symptoms of white … We also have a ruby red slippers hydrangea and that one is blooming fine with no problems or spots. Continued rainy weather or heavy fog produces the conditions that favor infection. Fertilizing hydrangeas can cause the leaves to brown on hydrangeas. If the severe trim doesn’t work, you will have to bin them. It destroys the roots, so the plants can’t take up water and wither away. I recently purchased two Oakleaf hydrangeas from a local nursery. Powdery mildew first appears as small white spots on the upper part of the leaves. I live in Michigan and have the plant in my house. I thought the disease on your hydrangeas was powdery mildew because there are spores on the top of the leaves. Too much sunlight. Feed with a balanced slow-release fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4, and see if they grow away healthily. Leaf spot fungus begins its attack in late summer, and gets progressively worse through fall. There are few things more beautiful than lush hydrangea bushes. Thank you for the words of encouragement. If you rub against the spots, do your hands turn rust colored? I think the bottom of the leaf is the key to diagnosing the problem, but I am having a hard time seeing it. Feed: Miracle-Gro. I live in Michigan, which has very cold winter. Thank you for providing pictures! Are the leaves folded and stuck together? We will introduce you to the major hydrangea diseases, so you know what to look for and how to prevent and treat them. The symptoms look like those of a fungal pathogen, so I think you are on the right track to spray with a fungicide. Your picture didn’t upload, so I can’t comment on the disease. Is there anyway that you can reduce the size of them and try again? Val Bourne My dad tried a broad spectrum fungicide and that has not helped them bounce back. I can never find info online of anyone having the problem. Hydrangeas like cool temperatures (50-60) and ideally should go back outside when the weather improves. They were doing fine at the beginning,… Read more », Hi Jiyu, I’m so sorry to see the pictures of your poor plants. Thank you for providing pictures. I can’t figure out what type of insect it could be, though. I have already experienced one diseased plant from them that I… Read more », Dear Shannon, I’m so sorry that your hydrangeas came with problems! One of Helga George’s greatest childhood joys was reading about rare and greenhouse plants that would not grow in Delaware. 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