DAYLILIES LEAVES LOOK AWFUL - Knowledgebase Question

Name: NANCY RUSSELL
PA
Avatar for YCNAN
Question by YCNAN
September 8, 2017
FOR A FEW YEARS NOW MY DAYLILIES LEAVES TURN YELLOW WAY TOO EARLY. THIS YEARS SOME OF THE BIG CLUMPS DIED EXCEPT FOR ONE PLANT ANO OTHER CLUMPS MORE BUT ANEMIC GROWTH. THERE ARE SOME CLUMPS NOT AFFECTED. IS THIS RUST OR SPRING DISEASE ? I HAVE TO CLEAN LEAVES EVERY DAY OR ELSE THE GARDEN LOOKS UGLY.
WHAT CAN I USE TO STOP THIS BLIGHT? THESE CLUMPS ARE 50 PLUS YEARS OLD. THE FLOWERS FOR THE MOST PART BLOOM IN SPITE OF THE DAMAGE.

Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Image
Answer from sooby
September 9, 2017
It's common for daylilies to look "ratty" after flowering. In PA it is unlikely that you would have daylily rust every year, and if by "spring disease" you mean spring sickness, that occurs early in the spring well before flowering and mostly the plants grow out of it.

It sounds like you are either seeing normal decline of leaves after flowering or maybe something like leaf streak. If it is normal decline of foliage after flowering then cutting the plants back to a few inches will cause them to produce new fresh green growth although I probably wouldn't do it now that it is late in the year. In hot dry years sometimes daylilies go "summer dormant" and temporarily die back but I assume you've had the cool weather and copious rain that many of us have had in the NE?

If none of the above seems to fit, can you post a picture?

Name: NANCY RUSSELL
PA
Avatar for YCNAN
A comment from YCNAN
September 9, 2017
NEVER BEFORE IN THE 50+ YEARS I HAVE CARED FOR THESE DAYLILIES EXCEPT FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS WHEN LEAVES SHOWED SUCH EARLY AND LASTING DAMAGE. THE EARLIEST LEAVES 2" LONG SHOW THIS DAMAGE. LEAF STREAK SOUNDS RIGHT. COULD YOU SUGGEST ANY REMEDY TO IT AND DOES LEAF STREAK AFFECT THE LEAVES AND THE PLANT OR ONLY THE LEAVES? ALOT OF MINE WERE STUNTED OR KILLED. OFTEN ONLY PART OF THE CLUMP SHOWED EFFECTS OF WHAT THIS PROBLEM IS

Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Image
A comment from sooby
September 9, 2017
If it happens that early then maybe it is spring sickness. Does it look like these pictures?

http://web.ncf.ca/ep568/galler...

Name: NANCY RUSSELL
PA
Avatar for YCNAN
A comment from YCNAN
September 9, 2017
YES, THIS IS DEFINATELY AN ASPECT OF THE PROBLEM. TWISTED, DEFORMED, STUNTED GROWTH. THE PICTURES DO NOT SHOW LEAVES WHICH ARE YELLOW AND STREAKED BUT MINE ARE AND THE RESULT IS MOST UNATTRACTIVE. ANY REMEDIES?

Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Image
A comment from sooby
September 9, 2017
If it's spring sickness there is no known remedy, people usually just wait it out and much of the time the fans recover on their own. You can probably help them along with adequate fertilizer and watering. Yellow and streaked older leaves could be leaf streak. There are fungicide recommendations for leaf streak in the bottom link on this page:

http://www.daylilies.org/ahs_d...

Name: NANCY RUSSELL
PA
Avatar for YCNAN
A comment from YCNAN
September 9, 2017
THE PICTURES SHOW EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE. CAN'T THANK YOU ENUF FOR THIS INFO. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE IT IS UNSIGHTLY.

OVER THE WEEKS I GO DAILY TO REMOVE ALL THE AFFECTED LEAVES AND NOW THE CLUMPS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE NOT STREAKING NOR YELLOWING ANYTHING LIKE THEY DID. MAYBE THE COOL NIGHTS HAVE PUT A HALT TO IT NOW. NEXT SPRING MIGHT BE AN IMPROVEMENT. THANKS, AGAIN FOR YOUR PINPOINTING THE PROBLEMS

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