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Rotting blooms when wet
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Posted by ms_minnamouse 7a (My Page) on Sun, May 24, 09 at 3:34
| When the peonies are flowering in their full glory, we always get about a week of constant cool and wet conditions. It'll rain a lot. And the buds turn brown and kind of rot. This is a fungus, right? Would something prevent it? Maybe a systemic fungicide? Or anybody have any other ideas? I'm not very big on organics, they've never been very effective in my opinion but I don't want to use anything that will kill any pollinators. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Rotting blooms when wet
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| The very heavy double peony blooms which need support to keep upright will catch a lot of rain and rot. If you can shake off the water after a rain you may be able to keep them from rotting. You could rig a umbrella to keep out the rain. Warm summer rain remaining in the flower will cause it to rot, period. Al |
RE: Rotting blooms when wet
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| I can't be there to shake it off every time it rains (which it keeps doing non stop) and I have too many to cover to keep out rain. |
RE: Rotting blooms when wet
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| Then don't worry about what you can not control. Almost everyone that has grown the full double peonies will tell you that when they bloom it always rains. Either enjoy what you can or grow less full peonies. |
RE: Rotting blooms when wet
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| It sounds like you're talking about small, unopened buds, not open flowers, rotting. This is probably Botrytis, a fungus, as you have guessed. I don't think either chemical or organic pesticides will be real helpful. And I think the issue is not so much rain getting on them, as poor drainage and poor circulation around the plants. Try improving the drainage by adding compost, and if you can spread the plants further apart, that should help. |
RE: Rotting blooms when wet
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| Nope, I'm talking about fully open flowers rotting. The buds are okay. The plants have good drainage and air circulation, although they probably will have to be divided this fall. |
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