Susan - That is horrible that you discarded so many of your daylilies hoping to prevent rust in your garden, only to have the rust eventually infect all your remaining plants. I would be sick about it. I think you may have the right attitude about the whole rust issue, " just buy what you like and cross these bridges when you get to them because you will not be able to enjoy them otherwise." So true!
I do have a bottle of Bayer Roses & Flowers 3 in 1 systemic mix for pests, bacteria, and fungus treatment. That stuff is VERY strong and I shutter to have to use it. It would probably kill earthworms and anything else in the ground as well. Not good.
Thanks for those links. Very interesting about the use of aspirin! Apparently it acts as a preventative, not so much a treatment. I wished I grew willow here. That would be a great idea to try also!
On the yahoo group, the use of Dawn dish soap was mentioned. That one I might try if I can get the recipe. I'd rather try something like that vs. Bayer chemical treatment. Using the Bayer would be the last resort. Not one I even want to use at all.
I really do have several daylily plants that are not showing any rust or if there is some spores, it is so minor that I can't detect it with my eyes. I have rust infected daylilies all around them, too. But they seem to be unaffected by rust and remain damage-free. I don't even remember what the flowers look like from those plants. But I plan to take a real close look and photograph and mark them from here on out. I want to track their resistance in the future. I will try using them in my breeding program to see if I can breed more resistance into crosses with other daylilies I really like. I do like the pretty faces of blooms!
Fred - You said, "I do believe the rust problem is not near the problem as it was when it first broke out in 2001." Is that because of the successful treatment for rust now? Are there any organic treatments that you are aware of that hobbiest could try in their garden? I understand that for a large scale daylily operation like you have, you have to do what you can to control rust. Luckily, a successful treatment regime was developed. That must have been a nightmare for you in 2001! I know the citrus industry here in Florida is dealing with a horrible disease called Citrus greening:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plan...
It could really destroy the commercial citrus industry here in the USA. It is believed to have originated in China. I remember years ago when citrus canker was the big scare. I've heard this greening is far worse. Geez!
Susan - My dormants always look like yours in the photo you posted above. My ev and sev seem to stay green for the most part here during the Winter. We do get a hard freeze in odd years and it does burn the blades/leaves, but they typically don't die back completely to ground level. I also am constantly cleaning up dead foliage around my daylilies. It just looks neater and I suspect the pathogens reside in some of that dead material. So I try to keep it clean so there is more air flow to prevent dampness from settling in around the daylily clumps. But I still get rust no matter what! I am very surprised though that some of my plants aren't showing rust. Not sure if they really are resistant or what. Something I shall be watching closely!
Vickie - What zone are you in?
