I have had my share of crown rot, but I must add that all of the ones that developed it were in containers. Not to say that my in ground daylilies couldn't get it but they are such industry standards that I think they are pretty much bullet proof to about everything (Happy Returns, Joan Senior, Pandora's Box for example). What I did notice on my pot ones, if this is any help to you, is that in almost all cases the potting mix was higher up on the crown/leaves instead of level with the base. When the weather warms up and moisture collects around that area, they can rot. Pushing the soil down to just barely cover the roots seems to have made a big improvement. About June I noticed some of my established daylilies had a fan or two starting to rot in amongst the clump. In every case the soil had crept back up the base of the fan. I removed the rotted fan, took the soil back down to just cover the roots of the remaining fans and insured that the drainage from watering went downhill instead of puddling next to the base of the fans. Fingers crossed but so far no new instance of crown rot. My South Seas btw is in pretty much all day sun, and in this heat it's sure looking pretty pitiful. I think it wants to be in the cooler climate of Hawaii just like I do. sorry to hear you lost yours. It is a pretty one and bloom prolifically for me.....Maryl

Thanks Maryl, I will have to watch for this. These are planted on a slope, it had been suggested to me that poor drainage could be a problem. I had been thinking that with the slope & adding compost to the soil drainage should not be a problem. But with the water draining down, I wonder if it might carry a bit of soil in some cases & push up against the plant. Or quite possible that when I move a plant I might have pushed soil against surrounding ones. I'll be more careful. It always seems like I lose them to crown rot when they have had an exceptional blooming year. South Seas did bloom heavily this year.

I have never lost one to crown rot before last year. I have 3 fans left on Joan Senior.All of So Lovely, my first daylily. So its not just the newer ones.I could go on and on. I'm definately not planting any more until I see what the weather brings next year. I think its too many hot days and constant watering. Its the only thing thats different here.

It is rather unusual for me to lose any plants, but I lost two: WILD CHERRY WINE and DESIRE OF NATIONS. DON was planted in the fall and started out well, so I didn't really pay attention to it until it was too late. I gave it a diluted bleach bath and left it alone. It appeared to make a small recovery as a small shoot came up. But then it also disappeared and I was left with a hole in the ground. WCW suffered the same fate. I already have a replacement for WCW coming in the spring. Now I have to get a replacement for DON

David

I luckily don't seem to have rot problems with daylilies. I sure do have them with my Tall Bearded Iris though. Each year I loose some iris plants that bloom, rot and then totally disappear. I never try to save them. I figgure if they are rotters then good riddance to them. There are always pleanty of others one can plant.

I was given a few that I left in pots.I lost my mom this summer.Our July was very hot and dry, while I was out of town I think my daughter over watered my daylilies have not done to good. Hope they do better next year and 2013 will be a better year.Pat

I haven't noticed any so far this year, but I lost several last year (mostly newer ones.) I thought I had lost South Seas last year, but, a couple of fans came up and it is currently reblooming, so maybe yours will too.

I still have to replace three from last year.
kay

I'm really surprised that it hasn't been worse for me, June was a horrid month, no rain, 2 weeks of record temps over 100 up to 112. Surprisingly, our usual dry months of July & Aug have had more rain than normal. Not enough to get out of the drought, but enough to keep it from getting worse than June caused.
On the other hand, Rita, I don't think I have ever lost iris the way you describe. Any that I lose are an occasional new one planted that just never takes root. Couple of years ago we had heavy flooding in the spring. Iris were in wet mud for weeks, I thought I had lost some but turned out some were set back a bit but no actual losses.
Yeah, mine have generally not been the newer plants that I have lost. Because it tends to happen in a certain area, I try to plant the bigger, hardier clumps in this area. The ones I care less about now that I know it is a problem area. It really must be something about the soil, but I can't think what. This is inside a circle driveway, just in one stretch of about 20 or 30'. I've never lost anything on the other side of the circle, probably 30' away. It isn't heavy clay, although there is an occasional vein of clay. I have iris, daffs, lillies & an occasional other plant in the same area, they do fine there. I can't even think of another area where I have actually lost a daylily to crown rot, just this area. I think I'm just going to delegate the area to my seedlings & keep adding compost.
I don't seem to have luck with daylilies in pots, Pat, I tend to overwater or underwater so afraid to try. Works great for Jean though, she has the touch.

I really have no patience. I don't want any plants to die but my attitude is the strong survive. Yes, iris rotting is a yearly thing for me here. Come to think of it, the rotters are always up in the upstairs iris bed.

I agree with Rita. I bought some new iris last fall, and a couple of them rotted away. I haven't lost any daylilies yet (fingers crossed), but anything that rots away will be noted and replaced with something different.

Nate

Update. I just went out and realized that Margo Reed Indeed had disappeared. I will wait until planting time to be sure, but I had already decided it needed a colder area, so if it's gone on its own, so be it.
kay

Nancy - Are you sure those are really lost? South Seas being a dormant may have just gone summer dormant. All of the ones I had go summer dormant in June and July are starting to leaf back out after so much rain the past couple of weeks.

Debra

Debra, maybe a fan or 2 will come back, but there is definitely rot, the smell is what caught my attention first. Hopefully, something is still alive there. Last year Skipjack got crown rot, I thought it was completely dead, but when the weather started to cool 1 fan came back. I've always liked Skipjack, so I moved it, it didn't bloom this year but it is surviving.
I wonder if I should dig & see if there is something left of South Seas. I kinda assumed it was all dead, I felt around & it seems like just mush.

I only had one fan that I lost to rot. Iris on the other hand had a bad year this year. I lost a few of them altogether and parts of others. They had spotty leaves and then rotted. I am beginning to think I need to phase out a lot of iris. They are just too much trouble for such a short bloom season.

I lost one but not from rot. It was a dormant that didnt come back this spring.MARDI GRAS PARADE. it was planted. The dormants I have in pots survived just fine.I lost another planted one too, but since the tag was faded and i couldnt read tha label,I have no idea which one it was, yet.

jean

Well, I don't think I lost any but I can't find Cosmic Hummingbird. I know I planted it 2 years ago but can't remember if I moved it to a raised bed this spring or not. There are still several out there that haven't flowered and haven't even sent up scapes! I guess I'll have to wait til next year to find it. Marg

I lose a few daylilies each year to rot. I try not to get anything bare-root from may to november because of the high possibility of crown rot. Damage to the root gives pathogens the opportunity to infect the plant. Water and heat are the main conditions the culprits need to infect the plant. Keep the root zone cool and aerated. Don't over-water in the heat of the summer unless you have excellent drainage. Don't add 'hot' compost or non-aged mulch within six months of your hot period. The excess heat they generate breaking down will cause rot.
There is always the chance that the plant was infected before you got it, so I usually give them two chances. Some areas of my gardens will suffer higher rates of rot than others. I think the areas with the heaviest soil have the most problems. So if a plant rots, I usually plant another in a different spot. If it rots twice, sorry. Ed

Jean, Mardi Gras Parade was stunning for me a couple of years ago, last year it was ok, but this year I thought I had lost it. I really thought I had moved it, but turned out it was right where it always was, an echinacea just obscured it. It didn't bloom well at all this year.
I have that same problem often, Marg! Last fall I moved Fairy Tale Pink because a shrub had moved in & was shading it too much. It never bloomed this year & I could not figure out where it was. Same thing happened as with Mardi Gras Parade, I never really moved it, but the shrub just covered it up. I WILL move it soon though.
Ed, great hints! Several of my plants that I lost were a few years old & had been in the spot for a while. South Seas I did move last fall, but I took a large clump of soil with it. I rarely water this section because it is so far to drag the water hose. Only when it is really dry. I did water it a couple of times during June when we had such heat & drought. South Seas bloomed during june & early July, & the foliage still looked good til the last time I collected seed pods, within the last 2 weeks. Still, I feel fortunate to have only lost the 2.

The only one I lost was from the auction. Actually, I didn't lose all of it just over half to crown rot. Fortunatly, it was in the getto in a pot so the Rust & Rot didn't affect the others. I have gotten rid of at least 250 though in my down sizing efforts..Ellie

I have lost more this year, but not as much as last year. I'm taking Maryl's advice by pulling back the soil from around the crowns. I hope it's not too late for some of them. I've been begging my DH for a month to turn off the sprinkler system in the daylily beds. He thought he had turned off the right zones several times, but when I went outside at daybreak this morning to weed, everything was dripping wet again. He plans to turn the system on manual this weekend so he can figure out exactly which zones to turn off. We've had enough rain that they should do O.K. without it.

Nancy

Nancy, you really lost a lot last year, I'm sorry you lost some this year. WEre these new plants, or survivors from last year?

I thought I lost a couple this year, becuase of were the kids were sledding over a slope, into a daylily bed, which I dont care if they do or not, but becuase we had no snow, they dug into the bed pretty deep.. but lo and behold those daylilies are making a comeback..

I lose iris every year as well. I dont think its rot, I think its the moths that plant the larvae, its a major issue here. I will not dig them up just to kill the larvae, if some make it, great, if they dont.. oh well. Its the reason I dont plant iris in any #s, not that they dont make great flowers, they do, late spring, early summer perfection also cut great.

I have a few japanese iris, that simply do not have that issue, but this year, becuase they bloom later, it was so dreadful hot, they bloomed and withered the same day pretty much.

Yes, we lost around 65 last year.

This year, some were new and some weren't. Apache Sunrise, Sailing at Dawn, Mark's Bouquet are the ones I can think of quickly. I'm even losing some of my seedlings that were planted last fall. Michael Miller I've had for years and it died this year. (sigh)

I've got to replace the first three, as they were absolutely beautiful for their first year of bloom, performed spectacularly, and then faded away.

I definitely do not think it is any fault of the seller or the hybridizer. If my own seedlings are dying, then it has to be one of two things: 1) something in the soil, or 2) the sprinkler system + extreme heat

The losses that hurt the worst are those rare prize seedlings scheduled for registration that cannot be replaced.

I tried sprinkling Comet around them, but that didn't help.

I also have to purchase Michael Miller. I simply can't live without that beautiful plant in my garden. Here, it was snow white without a hint of yellow. I think I'll grow it in a pot, though, so I can keep close watch over it.

They can be saved if you dig them up quickly enough. I just had too many other things going on to do that. The "saved ones" from last year are doing fine now with no evidence of crown rot.

Nancy