What's the matter?

Hello,
I wonder if anyone can tell me whats wrong with my monkshood the entire plant looks good but towards the bottom the leafs turned a rusty light brown color is the problem with the soil or am I fertilizing with the wrong food?
Thank you.

Can you post a picture?

I'll have one tomorrow -thanks.

Seems I'm having some trouble posting the photos let me try again.

This message was edited Jun 20, 2009 12:51 PM

Here it is thanks in advance,
Alchemy.

I will brave the raindrops and go check mine to compare.

How tall are they and how many inches are there of the spent leaves? I'd suspect they are just the oldest leaves and some on one of my clumps looks similar to yours while the other clump is all green. I'd just remove them.

Um I think the whole plant is about 20 inches tall the buds are getting ready to open so the top isn't affected just the leaves at the bottom if this is any help.
Thanks.

Have you had this plant for more than a year?

I ask because mine bloom much later in the year - September/October, so I'm surprised buds are ready to open now.

I'd still remove the dying leaves.

I have only had this plant since early spring/now summer I was checking the internet for any answers but couldn't find anything close so on Monday I will contact the nursery where I got it at to see what this is.
Thanks and I will remove the leaves .
Alchemy.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

Al, your leaf problem sounds sooo familiar, but instead of your monkshood, mine was a rose bush. What happened was that my awesome puppy "watered" it and it started yellowing/rusting from that "area" until it was no more :(:(:(...
It could also be a product of "spray-over"- like when I was spraying my tea rose with a rose insecticide and accidentally got the tomato plant next to it (I know, I know- they shouldn't be that close to each other BUT just like a noobie, I didn't pay attention to the little tag telling me how big that tea rose would get :)...
Anyhoo, just my two cents. I hope your plant survives!

Well when I ordered from this company I wanted three so I plant them the same day I received them two were small and didn't look so good but planted anyway after a week they died I still had one I babied it(maybe too much) I think I got a little confused on the Ph balance I may have gave the wrong food (but not on the other two) or it could have been sickly to start with-I don't know anyways I checked on it Yesterday and it looks like the flowers are dried up as well so I plan on ordering from another company this time.

They are very fussy plants the first year so please don't dig them up now. They really need a year to adjust even if you're moving established plants. I found out the hard way.

You mentioned maybe giving them the wrong food--I wouldn't give newly transplanted plants any fertilizer until they have a chance to get established a bit. Also for next time, I don't know if you looked up the company you used this time in Garden Watchdog or not, but I would definitely recommend doing that next time, that way you can see whether a company has a lot of negative reviews or not before you order.

alchemy - from which company did you order them? Was there any instruction sheet? I've grown them for over 15 years and they do fine except after I move some. The moved ones do sulk (for me) for the entire first year.

American Meadows I ordered three and two died off at ground level and the last is the one that is having problems.I will leave them in till next year I don't remember any specific instructions other than the order form and the water asap and plant asap
Thanks

This message was edited Jun 30, 2009 4:00 PM

I'm just guessing they emerge here in April so it must be similar for you. Please mark the area so you can look for them.

Alchemy,
The picture is interesting: it actually looks like one side of the plant is affected and not the other. In fact, the highest leaf is green on one side and looks sick on the other. Have not noticed that when either summer or fall monkshood die back and have worked with numbers of monkshood plants. If I remember rightly, the leaves die from the bottom of the plant, up.
Don't know why one side of the plant would be affected, but it gives the appearance of something being spilled on one side. Wonder if the kind of things Chezca talks about can affect one side of a leaf only (or affect one side first). You would think that if the problem was to do with nutrition or pH you wouldn't get this effect.
Find monkshoods to be among the hardiest perennials that I have used. They compete strongly with other perennials in a perennial bed. Also haven't seen them eaten by anything, maybe because they are so poisonous.
Have always obtained monkshood plants, in soil in pots, from garden centres or the like. Maybe that avoids the fussiness that pirl reports for monkshood.

Alchemy - here's the thread I mentioned in a Dmail:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/638461/