Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - July 05, 2010
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Cottony infestation on Turk's Cap in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
The Turks Cap in my front planter is well-established and, overall, happy and blooming. However, some of the top leaves, those in the most shaded area, have what looks like a thin, loose layer of cotton. These leaves are also a bit puckered. Any suggestions as to what this is (a mold, perhaps?) and what, if anything, needs to be done to remedy the situation? The planter also contains a couple of medium size(>two story) live oaks, wedelia, Tx. mountain laurel, purple oxalis, cedar sage, rock daisies, flame acanthus, dwarf ruellia, winecup, and evening primrose. Your help is greatly appreciatedANSWER:
Generally, the Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow) is a pretty tough, well-adapted plant for our area, and not much bothered by pests and diseases. There are three insect pests that can disturb it, creating various symptoms of the presence of the pest, one of which might be the "cotton" you are seeing on the leaves. Go to the websites indicated to see the symptoms, matching them up with your observations, and find a treatment that seems reasonable to you in the situation. Given the area where you are seeing this cotton, we would suggest that you trim back the area of the Turk's Cap that seems most affected. Since you have already observed that it is worse in the most-shaded area, and since you can prune Turk's Cap nearly all year long and not damage it, we would certainly suggest that you trim that out of the shady area, and dispose of it so whatever bug is causing the problem will not get an opportunity to spread somewhere else.
Aphids: these will definitely cause leaf curl, and the honeydew they excrete begins as a whitish area, although it can develop a black fungus that will change the color and is really ugly. University of California Integrated Pest Management Aphids.
Spider mites: this is probably the best suspect in your case, as the spider mite is a member of the Arachnid (spider) family and has web-spinning abilities. Again, from the UC IPM program Spider Mites.
Mealy bugs: these individual bugs can also have a cottony appearance, and you can find some easy control methods in this eHow site How to Control Mealybugs.
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Gaura Plants Dying In PA
July 16, 2014 - I had six gaura plants. They were beautiful last year. Now I have one that is doing well and the others are dying slowly one at a time. I don't understand this. They are on a slight slope and have ...
view the full question and answer
Ecosysystem with pecan at center from Austin
February 21, 2014 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I would like to create a native tree guild around a mature pecan. It shares its space with native shrubs and ephemerals but I would like to add a nitrogen fixing plant. I am...
view the full question and answer
Plants for farm animals from East Greenwich RI
May 03, 2014 - What type of perennial flowers and shrubs are safe to plant around farm animals (dogs, horses, chickens, turkeys) in New England climate?
view the full question and answer
Need to stabilize a south facing slope in Henderson, NC
April 30, 2010 - Hi, I have a south facing slope that is heavy clay with rock under it. It gets a lot of sun. I have planted a few bushes and some ground cover, but with all the snow and rain we had this past winter, ...
view the full question and answer
The origin of Juncus effusus var. Big Twister
May 04, 2008 - Juncus effusus, var. 'Big Twister' We're trying to figure out the nativity of this thing, and whether it is safe to plant in our very wet rain garden. Thank you for any assistance...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |