What is Red Blotch???

Someone mentioned yesterday about amaryllis and red blotch. What is it and what are the symtoms?

this is a somewhat common problem.. I copied this from The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension Service



Garden plants should be checked frequently for insects and diseases. "Red blotch" or leaf scorch disease is quite common. It appears as red spots on leaves, flower stems and flowers. Leaves or stems may be deformed and the bulb may have large, red blotches which rot easily.

Prevention and Control: Before planting, spray or dust bulbs with Captan or Benlate fungicide. If red blotch symptoms develop during the growing season, spray weekly or at 10-day intervals with Benlate or Captan to help reduce the severity of the disease. See your county Extension agent if you have questions or concerns about pesticide application and use.

One of my amaryllis had red spots on the foliage when they first started coming up (I think it was the papilio), but that eventually faded away and it was fine. I'd never seen that before and did worry about it. They were dark red freckly-like spots on the top inch of the foliage. I guess that was probably red blotch. It seems to be fine now though.

I think that red blotch is oversold or poorly described, even though I don't have a good description. My general observation has been that red spots on leaves do not matter, even though some texts panic over them. However, a rotted red spot on the amaryllis bulb itself is usually bad news and will spread.