What's UP with my plant?

This has been a long, wet winter, and unfortunately many plants are not looking their best!  Is it weather damage?  A fungus?  Pests?  If you have questions, we have answers!  Bring in a sample or photographs from your garden and let our expert purple people help diagnose what's up with your plant!  We will offer solutions and get you pointed in the right direction.

 

Here is a list of some of the most common problems and their symptoms:

Anthracnose:  A fungus that causes large, irregularly shaped blotches on the leaves and flowers.  Dead gray leaves my stay on the tree into winter, while some affected leaves will drop before autumn.

Aphids:  Small plant eating insects cluster on new growth of small plantes. The sweet sticky honeydew secreted by aphics promotes growth of black sooty mold.

 

Black Spot:  Circular black spots on leaves, frequently with fringed margins.  Leaves can turn yellow and fall off.

 

Caterpillars:  Tents of caterpillars woven into tree branches.

 

Gray Mold:  New growth chnages from yellow to orange, then becomes covered in gray.

 

Lace Bugs:  Leaves are yellow and stippled.  Undersides of leaves are dirty.

Leaf Curl:  First appears as reddish areas on leaf margins; edges become distorted and turn gray/white, then brown.  Young shoots become thickened, black and often die.

 

Leaf Spot:  Small dark reddish spots form, enlarge and grow together.  The center turns black and then gray.  Defoliation can occur under sever conditions.

 

Powdery Mildew:  White, powdery growth on young stems and leaves.

 

Red Thread (Grass):  Irregular yellow to brown area tinged with orange/red discoloration of leaf blades.

 

Rust (Roses):  Raised spots on the underside of the leaves that are orange in color.

 

Shot Hole:  Red to purple spots on leaves that turn brown.  Centers fall out of spots leaving sporadic holes.  Looks like the leaves have been shot with a shot gun.

Root Weevil: Notches on the outside margin of leaves.  Commonly found on Rhododendrons and Azaleas.

Slugs and Snails:  Slime trails near plants, holes on leaves.

Twig Blight (Cherries):  Leaves dry up, turn brown and fall off starting at the tip of the branches.