Gardening and Horticulture - holleyhocks
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Ken Grayfox
06-03-02, 09:10 AM
I live in Michigan and planted several holleyhocks, They have what looks like rust all over the leaves, which is killing the plants. What is this and how can I get rid of it.
Thanks
Thanks
Gami
06-03-02, 11:26 AM
Hi Ken,
Funny you should mention that. I just got an email from a friend asking what to do. Since my email address is Mishollyhock, everyone thinks I'm an expert on them. :) Not so, I just love them.
There are several products on the market for rust. Rust will not harm the plant but it is unsightly. It's recommended to plant hollyhocks at the back of garden beds to hide the leaves.
Pull off the diseased leaves. They'll fall off eventually anyway and you don't want them laying on the soil. Dispose of them. Do NOT compost them.
Last year all my hollyhocks had rust, but I didn't treat them. This year I bought some Daconil to be ready for it, but, knock on wood, no rust yet, so I can't vouch for it. Daconil is good for many other diseases, so it's a good thing to have on hand.
There are also products just for rust, but I thought they were pretty expensive. You'll need to go to a good nursery for something effective for rust.
Rust will not kill your hollyhocks. They'll come back next year, I CAN vouch for that. It's recommended not to save seeds from diseased plants.
An added little tip--when your hollyhocks are done blooming, cut the stalk back to about a foot above ground. You should get a second bloom. They'll start growing again from the base of the plant and ground. They won't be as tall, but if you'll look around, you'll be the only one with a second bloom on your hollyhocks--unless they already know about this.
Gami
Funny you should mention that. I just got an email from a friend asking what to do. Since my email address is Mishollyhock, everyone thinks I'm an expert on them. :) Not so, I just love them.
There are several products on the market for rust. Rust will not harm the plant but it is unsightly. It's recommended to plant hollyhocks at the back of garden beds to hide the leaves.
Pull off the diseased leaves. They'll fall off eventually anyway and you don't want them laying on the soil. Dispose of them. Do NOT compost them.
Last year all my hollyhocks had rust, but I didn't treat them. This year I bought some Daconil to be ready for it, but, knock on wood, no rust yet, so I can't vouch for it. Daconil is good for many other diseases, so it's a good thing to have on hand.
There are also products just for rust, but I thought they were pretty expensive. You'll need to go to a good nursery for something effective for rust.
Rust will not kill your hollyhocks. They'll come back next year, I CAN vouch for that. It's recommended not to save seeds from diseased plants.
An added little tip--when your hollyhocks are done blooming, cut the stalk back to about a foot above ground. You should get a second bloom. They'll start growing again from the base of the plant and ground. They won't be as tall, but if you'll look around, you'll be the only one with a second bloom on your hollyhocks--unless they already know about this.
Gami
Ken Grayfox
06-04-02, 03:30 PM
Thanks I will give it a try... do enjoy them and hate seeing the leaves being eat away.