Here's a picture of my suspect canna. What do you think?
Help! Does my canna have mosaic virus?
here's a suspect leaf from a colored calla.
What are the remedies for mosaic virus?
Kaleem
There are no cures for this virus.
I took the leaves into a local nursery yesterday and they didn't know if it was the mosaic virus or not. Sadly, I walked to their "canna" section and immediately found a 5-gallon container with cannas with the same leaf markings.
I'm hoping someone who's familiar with the virus could maybe tell me if I have it or not.
It is impossible to look at the leaves and tell if it is a virus. I had a hoya everyone said was infected with a virus. I had it tested for 14 groups of virus at the University Extension Service....NADA. It has turned out to be a nutritional deficiency. I have seen it happen with root mealie bugs. Don't give up. There are no quick answers...check your agricultural extension service for help.....
Carol
Thank you, Carol. I'll have to send one of the plants off to the state office to have it analysed. I'd hate to destroy my canna and calla collections if the cause is a nutrient deficiency.
Hi emilyrasmus....here is a link for more info on this virus, but I don't think this is what you have: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1168.html
It looks more like lack of iron or some nutrient. Try feeding them some fish emulsion, which you can buy at your local plant store or maybe even a feed store that handles chemicals and whatnot. Let me ask you this: are your plants close to either a Pecan, Ash, or Walnut tree? These 3 trees are toxic, and have a toxin in their entire system that makes it difficult for many plants to grow around them, and the toxin is called Juglone, and whenever you have plants that cannot withstand these toxin's, they will eventually be stunted in growth, and probably die, if not moved away from these trees. I have this problem in my yard because my major source of shade comes from a huge Pecan tree that is in my neighbor's yard, and I have to keep up with the nutrients for my plants, esp. the iron, because they will turn a yellow color, and just look awful. It's just a thought. I would try the fish emulshion first, and see if this helps. More times than not, it's a nutrient thing, but I'm not telling you it's not that virus, either, but I like to try things that are simple, first, then work my way up to the more complicated and time consuming things. Let us know if they get better, okay, and good luck.
Last night I took a closer look at the calla lilies and discovered that many of them have rotting tubers. :( That would explain why they weren't looking so good. I seperated the non-rotting from the rotting and will dust the non-rotting tubers with sulfur dust to help protect them and put them in new soil that has sand and perlite added as well. The containers that had the highest percentage of rotten tubers were those that I had put an inch of compost on top of the soil. I'm going to move them to an area that receives morning sun and afternoon shade and see if that helps. Anyone else had problems with colored calla tubers rotting?
I put about 2 inches of red bark mulch around my callas and some of cannas last week and the leaves are starting to do the same thing. I think the mulch has something in it that is leeching the nutrients out of the plants.
Emily,
I just found this thread. I have been having the same problem with some of the dahlias. I thought it was dahlia mosaic virus. After throwing away 3 different varieties, I took some leaves into my local garden supply store and the owner (whom I trust very much) said it is a lack of iron in the soil. I fed them the other day and am waiting to see any changes.
How are your cannas and callas doing now?
Mendy
My cannas are doing much better. I think it was a lack of iron. The old leaves still look yucky, but some of th newer ones are doing better. I forgot cannas are such heavy feeders. I fertilize them weekly now along with my brugs and nanas.