Downy Mildew On Impatiens - Pictures Too

What was once my stellar performer around here may become history, at least until next year...maybe. Symptoms are identical to my mother's Impatiens that suffered earlier this year in SW Florida. Both she and I assumed it was a heavy overnight deluge. Same up here in North Georgia. There was a heavy rain in the middle of the night on May 30 with another inch and a half falling on or around June 4.



This is not the case and the problem has almost been confirmed in an email by Dr. Jean Williams-Woodward with the University of Georgia who states it "looks like downy mildew." Some of the resources available:

http://blog.caes.uga.edu/sehp/2012/02/11/new-downy-mildew-affecting-impatiens/

http://blog.caes.uga.edu/sehp/2012/06/15/downy-mildew-on-impatiens-identified-in-georgia-retail-nursery-and-landscape/

Where did this nasty disease come from? What can be done? How rampant will it become? Here's a story from the UK. In short it only appears during wet and cooler weather, which we did have the last two weeks. It may slow down or halt when the weather gets hot. Pretty depressing when you consider Impatiens represents a large potion of my gardens. Surprisingly some areas are still flourishing, while others look done. Can I blame it on the source? Possibly, but not enough is known. Some were purchased at Lowes in mid April while others from Quinn's Greenhouse up McCaysville, Georgia. Problem is some were mixed in with others. I would have more faith in buying disease free stuff from Quinns over Lowes. Are they capable of preventing it? It's almost an unknown at the present time. Plenty of facts and opinion at the links above.

More pictures..

And one area not affected (below)...yet. Wait. There is one white Impatiens in the image that has definitely not progressed as well as the others shown. Maybe there's a way of detecting if your Impatiens have the disease but it hasn't yet shown it's ugly face? For weeks I've been thinking none of my Impatiens are progressing as well as they did in past years. Yet during that time there were no signs of any disease. They just remained smaller. But then again I can be impatient, thinking how everything looked in mid July of previous years.

What about Impatiens that reseed?  I do have several areas that are being affected, but they too are mixed in with newer plants this year. Oh well, at least my trailing Petunias are thriving.

Good "Homemade" Weed Killer

Notice the quotes "" used in the title with homemade. I certainly didn't make the ingredients. Anyway, I don't run into any large weed problems around here except for the sunnier spots. So the question was what to use? I'm not paying twenty bucks for that stuff at Lowes, so I did some digging across the web, ignored save the earthworm types of people. Besides, I have thriving population of those critters around here.

Here's what I'm playing with. Mind you this is for spots I don't want anything to grow. Areas include the driveway and along the drive. Most of the web suggestions mention vinegar (one gallon), salt (one cup), and some type of detergent (one tblspn) in varying quantities. I decided to go with some copper sulfate (bought at a local farm supply store) I use for the septic system. It's a salt and is supposed to sterilize soil.

Before...

After...two days later

 

Pretty good results the way I look at it. None will be applied in the center of the driveway. Question is how long will it last? I may add another shot with a copper sulfate and water only mix to get at the roots. The first application was sprayed lightly all the way up the driveway or 150 feet.

I would not suggest it to spot kill weeds in flower beds or lawns.

Costs? 

Vinegar $ 2.65

Detergent ? A nickel?

Copper Sulfate? I'd guess $ 2.00 if you were to buy a two pound container of RootKill

Coverage in this example. Approximately 250 square feet.

Update June 19. Save your money. It doesn't work, but the application of copper sulfate and water was very weak.

It's An Official Surrender

...at least for this season. Can't grow much here with less than four inches of rain since May 26. About the only things that do hang in are the mountain laurel, creeping phlox (dormant) and that other thing (background) that blooms in September or so.

Others that can't make much of a life up here are day lilies (but they fade anyway this time of year), Salvia Sage, some type of Black Eyed Susan, Coneflowers, and a few Rose of Sharon. (top to bottom below) The latter obtained last year at a Daves Garden get together.

Life is hard along the fence line up the driveway as well. Asters from last year struggling (8 of ten survivors but much smaller), but I have lugged water up here a half dozen times since May 26. Marigolds never did too well, same with Cosmos. Silly spider Zinnias are alive. Don't bother trying these things. Flowers are ridiculously small and they just sprawl on the ground. Good soil after I worked it, but too darn dry.

Plant Failures - Or Maybe They Need Time?

Before I show the many successes in early to mid September how about some time for the wanna bees around here? Probably mentioned in the past, the Columbines are real friggin slow to do anything. The one below was sowed in May of 2010...maybe it was June. Oh well. Most of the others are barely making it. Maybe next spring I will be surprised with this perennial? It did have some nice growth earlier this summer but no sign of flowing.

Hollyhocks. I have two in this area that were started  in March of 2010. Give or take a month. Barely hanging in about two inches high...

Blanket Flowers! Started in late March this year. Most were on the porch until a few weeks ago, but a few since June. Hardly any growth. Barely three inches if they can stand on their own. Maybe next year?

Lupine and Painted Daisy...started about the same time.

Not much of a failure but I may as well take note of the climbing hydrangea next to the creek. No flowers this year but has been growing steadily all spring and summer. Probably now at 12-15 feet height.

Misc Plants

Looking at a few misc plants scattered about; some barely hanging on while others seeming to like the cooler weather. Two in particular are the Cactus Zinnias and the Pineapple Sage that normally thrives in November. First pic is some cut this afternoon while the second shows plenty of buds ready to pop. I have several that just hang over the driveway and look pretty cool once they're in bloom.

Pineapple Sage making it's fall appearance. It was moved from against the cabin earlier this year to the lawn along the fenceline..

A Purple Cone flower that for all intent and purposes died two months ago. It had no green growth whatseover. I thought it was just another casualty of the summer heat, but now it's back to life and ready to flower?  Below that is another cone flower purchased at one of the stores that is hanging on. I'll leave those guys alone and see what happens next spring.

And some fall flowering perennials (Stonecrop) in the back ground that are also struggling in the very dry Alpine garden area. I thought they'd be a brighter red, but appeared a brownish color.

And on to a Mexican Sunflower. This one is one of two grown from about a dozen seeds sowed on top of the soil back in May. Slow grower and the danged thing has a bud on top. I suppose it will fare better the second year. Oh wait it's an annual. Nice showing there Mex..doh

Morning Glories doing well but changing color during the day or at least the burgundy ones appear a lavender color in the morning then resort to their standard when the temperatures warm up. You be the judge.

Standard color...

Saving Caladium Bulbs...

Plants That Bit The Dust - Or Close To

They look so great in the home centers..and I'm giving up on them except for the ones I know do well. It seems like practically everything growing in the shade thrives. Could be bugs need to sun bathe and don't like cooler areas? Here's two Rising Sun Coreopsis I really fell for at Lowes a few months ago. Doing some research it seems there may not be enough air circulation. Instead a fungal disease has developed and is slowly killing it.

Probably should yank this one as that fungus can spread throughout the soil according to this story. They may have done better off in the drier Alpine garden area. I just figured the existing soil was so dry and it's sloped that it would never stay moist so I'd be safe. Nope, adding quite a bit of mulch to the soil has actually retained the moisture.

And these Lemon Zest Petunias! I've tried it all. No water, water a little, keep cutting the spent flowers, dab some fertilizer on them, wait for results. Nope. Scrawny buggers. Besides some critter loves the taste. Time to replace 'em. Other Petunias thrive around here except for this thing.

Convolvoulous. "Just like Morning glories but in bush form" Burpee says. "Heat, drought, and poor soil tolerant, they’re enchanting from summer until frost." Yea, okay... but not at my house!

Delphiniums. What a total disaster! Never could get any to grow from seed either. It's time to visit a real garden center... local mom and pop. At least they'll have what grows around here and not some dream plants those other guys sell.

Oh, by the way. Violas are beginning to reseed from last year. This is a spot where they were moved from but some are popping up. I still have some Yellows growing quite well. Not sure if they'll ever die off for the season.

....and the wave Petunias from last year came back. Thriving where they are.