|
Tue, May 25, 04 at 22:29
| I've had a hellebore growing in the same spot for 4 years now, never has done spectacular, but has got by and flowers every year. This spring it dutifully came up and after it's spring feed/water promply flopped over an died! It looked wilted like a very dehydrated/shocked plant, water did not correct this, and when I finally gave the lifeless stem a tug it came away easily and was rotted at the base.. I've not touched it except to give it it's spring dose of granular fertilizer which I watered in. What gives? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| couple of possibilities / suggestions After 4 years the plant will be developing quite a large crown. If it's relatively low in the ground and subjected to heavy watering (or sitting in water / melting winter snows) the crown can rot relatively easily. Similarly if your over-winter mulch is applied too heavily and/or is liable to hold too much water sitting on the crown, the rotting of the mulch can also infect the crown. The main fungal pathogens that hit the orientalis are pythium and fusarium, both of which cause decay of the root system leading to stunting or collapse of the plant. The only way to prove if it is a fungal disease is to have it tested by a plant pathology lab. You need to take in sections of the plant that preferably have some healthy and some diseased portions so the technicians can test the actual zone thats currently going rotten. however there are many other ways the hellebores can be wiped out, but based on your description of how the problem became evident, I think you can ignore 'above the ground' possibilities such as errant herbicide damage. hope this helps! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Hellebore Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.