PHYLLOXERA!!

Hi, Newb here, with issues! I bought my first house four years ago, love it, has small mostly paved back yard but with perennial beds with lots of potential all sides, unsightly fence I'm saving to replace. Discovered over the course of 3 years that wonderful wild grape vines have fully covered unsightly fence! Combined with sweet pea very pretty. Could not understand why prior owners had cut these wild grape vines away when so useful, until today I noticed problem on leaves. Have explored Internet-undoubtedly phylloxera! Here is my question. I now intend to cut away wild grape vines and start over with honeysuckle and trumpet vine. Both are woody I think. Are they susceptible to phylloxera, which will continue to be in soil at grape root? Or is phylloxera specific to grape vine? (hopefully).Thank you, looking forward to chat.

Welcome to DG, ButterfieldAve! Don't know the answers to your questions, but lots of other folks here will. Enjoy the garden -- at home, and on-line!

Thanks,whiterose. Hope so. Have also posted my SOS in Garden Foes forum, in case some knowledgeable folks are watching there who otherwise don't visit Welcome Mat. Hope you also enjoy your garden this summer! B.

This message was edited Friday, Jul 18th 4:51 PM

Welcome to DG, ButterfieldAve, from South Louisiana.

I don't know anything about phylloxera, but everything I find indicates that the one that plagues grapes is particular to grapes. They seem to be specialists ... one eats hickory, another grapes ...

Someone who knows more will come along.

Cheri'

B.Ave, Welcome from Washington state. Trust me, your questions will be answered. Knowledge and hospitality abound here!

Welcome to DG, it's a great place and soon you'll wonder how you lived without it. I have some domestic grape vines, a couple of them died and one isn't doing so well, so now I am running to look at phylloxera and see what it is. Obviously I don't have the answer to your question, sorry.

Thanks for your input everyone. Five days later and the good news is that the phylloxera isn't spreading like wildfire anyway. Have cut away infested leaves (mostly the young), and the remaining vine doesn't look unsightly or very traumatized at least for now. And have purchased a beautiful speciman of a trumpet vine at our local nursery! Will be planting later today...and am looking very forward to getting the honeysuckle vines in the spring. I hope you all are having as wonderful a summer as we are here in Central NYS! P.S. love DG, this is such a nice place. Thanks again.

To MaryE in Baker City, OR - Mary, I was thinking, if you didn't notice any of the wart-like growths on your vine leaves when it was dying, I don't think it was phylloxera. From what I read, it has a "complicated life cycle" that takes many years to actually kill the vine. And in that time, if you had anything that looked like the vine leaves I've been cutting away, you probably wouldn't have missed it (very ugly!). If you get a chance, let me know. Thanks, B.

Welcome to the wonderful, friendly Garden. You will make so many friends here that you will not have time to garden...LOL Jo

Thanks, roadrunner! Having a lot of fun already. Still gardening though!! Last night planted climbing hydrangea. Love it, love it, love it, going back to buy another one tonight. Can't help myself! Never expected to have so much fun in garden when I finally got my own house. Take care ... B.