However, if the problem is more serious, such as stunted growth, there’s no hope for your plant and you need to remove it. If the problem is just the mottled leaves and the rest of the plant seems to be OK, then just leave it alone. You may find light and dark green mottling on the stems and leaves, stunted growth, leaves that curl up and just poor health in general in your peony plant. Viruses of various sorts can attack your peony plants. This disease is unsightly but not deadly. The flowers may become mis-formed.Īpply a fungicide to all parts of the plant when you notice the problem. The leaves, flowers and young stems become coated with a white powder. In addition, don’t water from overhead and be sure not to over-water keep the plant’s humidity low. Apply a fungicide when you notice the problem. Remove the affected plant parts and be sure to destroy all debris at the end of the season. Affected leaves can develop clumps of fuzzy, grey fungal spores. Later in the season, the buds may become brown. It starts by affecting the young shoots in spring. This is a common fungal disease of peonies. Ensure there’s good air circulation in your plant and avoid watering it from above. Remove and destroy the plant debris at the end of the season. It’s sometimes accompanied by rings of dark red pigment or yellow haloes. This causes spotting on the peony leaves. This is a disease of which there are several varieties. Diseases to watch out for on your peonies Blights Also use mulches such as aluminium that disorient the thrips.Ĭhemical solutions include insecticidal soaps or a systemic insecticide that can reach into the plant tissue. Beneficial, to you and not to the thrips, insects to encourage include spiders and mites. Repeat this daily for three or so days to get all the thrips.

Focus on the undersides of the affected leaves. Organic methods to control thrips start as simply as knocking them off the plant with a fine and strong spray of cold water from your garden hose. If a whole mass of these tiny insects descend on your plant, the leaves start to look scorched and the blooms are destroyed. Leaves may lose color and then wither away. Their effect is to puncture your flower petals, leaves holes and other disfigurations as well as discolourations. Thrips are very tiny brownish insects that are really hard to see. Watch out for thrips and control with a pesticide Try spraying with a pesticide, the issue is, it’s not always effective as their shells seem to provide some protection for them. Lastly, you may have to resort to chemical means to address the problem.

Next try biological management by introducing the scale insects’ natural enemies – labybirds/ladybugs or small parasitic wasps. Use a toothbrush and brush fairly lightly so as not to damage the hoot or stem further. While you’re doing this, manually rub the insects off the stems that are only lightly affected. Try organic pest management strategies first by pruning out the stems and shoots that are heavily infested. You may notice this on your leaves before you see the insects that look like tiny shells. Some types of scale insects produce a shiny, sticky secretion called honeydew which also attracts ants. These insects can also reduce the growth of peonies. If your leaves are turning yellow and dropping, get a magnifying glass and examine the yellow leaves for white flecks of something. You need to look closely at your peonies to see the scale insects. Scale insects love peonies and can be controlled with an insecticide

Botrytis blight hydrangea