Image
Aug 11, 2017 9:23 AM CST
Thread OP
zone 5 - northern Illinois
Something is very wrong with my day lilies. The leaves turned a rusty brown color and they all started dying at a rapid pace. Did some research and it seems that it's leaf rust... Read that I should cut them all down, so I did that. Gave me a better look at how bad the rust is. It's spread far down on the leaf to the crown. I was planning on splitting them this fall. Should I not? I've attached pictures to show how bad it is.
Thumb of 2017-08-11/ninabee/99e104


Thumb of 2017-08-11/ninabee/892c99
Image
Aug 11, 2017 10:53 AM CST
Name: Pat Strong
Stone Mountain (Zone 8a)
Birds Orchids Irises Hummingbirder Houseplants Region: Georgia
Dragonflies Daylilies Dahlias Cut Flowers Garden Photography Butterflies
This does not look like rust to me. I have included a link to a discussion from this site regarding rust. Hope this helps to eliminate rust from the possibilities. Rust spores are reddish brown spores that will rub off in your hand when touched.
The thread "I think I have rust." in Daylilies forum
Pat236
Last edited by Pat236 Aug 11, 2017 10:54 AM Icon for preview
Image
Aug 11, 2017 10:58 AM CST
Thread OP
zone 5 - northern Illinois
Well, I wasn't 100% sure it was rust cause there wasn't any pustules. But I didn't find any other problem that resulted in brown, dying leaves. Anyone know what's killing my leaves?
Image
Aug 11, 2017 11:19 AM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
There is a duplicate thread for this in Ask a Question and I answered there before seeing it here. It is not daylily rust. It could be leaf streak. Also daylilies tend to die back somewhat after flowering, but I assume this is new this year? There is thrips injury on the leaves in your pictures, and that could let the leaf streak fungus infect the plants. But a lot of people cut back their daylilies after flowering so that they regrow clean foliage. I wouldn't do it with a newly planted daylily or one that's winter hardiness is uncertain. There are pictures of leaf streak here:

http://www.daylilies.org/ahs_d...
Image
Aug 11, 2017 11:22 AM CST
Name: Valerie
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4a)
Bee Lover Ponds Peonies Irises Garden Art Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Canadian Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters
@sooby
What is the thrip injury in these photos?
I don't know how to recognize thrip damage.
Touch_of_sky on the LA
Canada Zone 5a
Last edited by touchofsky Aug 11, 2017 11:23 AM Icon for preview
Image
Aug 11, 2017 11:43 AM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
touchofsky said:@sooby
What is the thrip injury in these photos?
I don't know how to recognize thrip damage.


This picture is not high resolution, it was taken years ago with my first digital camera, but I think it shows it well enough. The top leaf shows thrips injury, the lower one is spider mite damage. The thrips damage is more "streaky" than the stippling/speckling of the spider mites. The brown spots are most likely the leaf streak fungus taking advantage of the damage.

Thumb of 2017-08-11/sooby/f107fc
Image
Aug 11, 2017 12:22 PM CST
Name: Valerie
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4a)
Bee Lover Ponds Peonies Irises Garden Art Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Canadian Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Thanks, Sue. The picture shows the difference very clearly.
Touch_of_sky on the LA
Canada Zone 5a
Image
Aug 11, 2017 3:02 PM CST
Thread OP
zone 5 - northern Illinois
These lilies were here when we moved in. So they are definitely established. This is the first time I've seen this. Whatever it is it's spreading to the neighboring lilies. Even to the one on the opposite side of my garden. It very well may be leaf streak. Here's another plant that I have to cut down. Is there something i can do to treat the crown once all is cut? Thank You!
Thumb of 2017-08-11/ninabee/df5b2a
Image
Aug 11, 2017 3:10 PM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
That looks more typical of leaf streak, with the yellow and brown down the midrib. I have never seen it suggested to treat the crown, but you can clean up the leaves and remove them at the end of the season to try and reduce overwintering. There are fungicides that will give some control, if it bothers you that's a possibility for next year. There is a research article that indicates which fungicides worked best in trials on the AHS page I linked to above.
Image
Aug 11, 2017 7:16 PM CST
Thread OP
zone 5 - northern Illinois
Well, originally I thought it was rust and everything said to cut the plant down to the crown and so that's what I did. That's why I asked if I could treat the crown since that's all that's left. I will leave it be for now and hope they grow back healthy. Although, I might have killed them since I cut them down earlier than normal. I'll just have to wait and see.
Image
Aug 11, 2017 7:22 PM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
Have you cut them back further than the top picture? If not, they're not down to the crown and they should grow back fine.
Image
Aug 11, 2017 10:06 PM CST
Name: Amber
Missouri (Zone 6a)
Garden Photography Daylilies Region: Missouri
@sooby If left untreated, can leaf streak kill a daylily? Or is it more of a nuisance because of how unsightly it is? Is it like rust in that the spores that cause it will die out in colder winter climates?
Amber
Daylily Novice
Image
Aug 12, 2017 4:49 AM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
I've never heart of it actually killing a daylily but if it kills a lot of leaves it could theoretically weaken them if they're not particularly robust. Like daylily rust, cultivars vary in their resistance/susceptibility to leaf streak. It is said to need an injury, such as pest or weather damage, to infect a plant so differs from daylily rust in that respect.

No, cold winter climates don't kill it unfortunately. What kills rust in cold winter climates is that the leaves die back and the mycelium (the body of the fungus) in the leaf cannot survive winter without living foliage. It can, however, use the "winter spores" to infect the alternate host, patrinia, in the spring where that plant is present. The "winter spores" of daylily rust do survive very severe winter climates (it was first recorded in Siberia) but can't re-infect daylilies, only patrinia, and then return to daylilies again.
Image
Aug 12, 2017 8:34 AM CST
Thread OP
zone 5 - northern Illinois
@Sooby, unrelated question- where does all of your knowledge come from? You always have the most informative answers. You might be smarter than Google. Smiling
Image
Aug 12, 2017 9:43 AM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
Well I do wonder about Google sometimes Hilarious! I wrote or co-wrote most of the pest and disease entries for the AHS Daylily Dictionary, and the daylily rust info web site is mine: http://web.ncf.ca/ah748/rust.h...
Image
Aug 12, 2017 11:23 AM CST
Name: Larry
Enterprise, Al. 36330 (Zone 8b)
Composter Daylilies Garden Photography Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Garden Ideas: Master Level Plant Identifier
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Region: Alabama
I don't think any of us appreciate enough all the info sooby provides us with!
Image
Aug 12, 2017 12:01 PM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
*Blush* Thank You!
Image
Aug 12, 2017 3:38 PM CST
Name: Valerie
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4a)
Bee Lover Ponds Peonies Irises Garden Art Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Canadian Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Thank You! Sue!
Touch_of_sky on the LA
Canada Zone 5a
You must first create a username and login before you can reply to this thread.
  • Started by: ninabee
  • Replies: 17, views: 4,293
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Paul2032 and is called "Echinacea and Rudbeckia"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.