I think one of my Brugs has a virus. It's done this two years in a row. Note in the picture how the new growth is deformed and curling.
I'm planning to chop it down and dig it up. It has been in the ground over 5 years now. Can someone tell me just how deep I can expect the roots to go?
Thanks!
Xeramtheum
Xeramtheum, there are a couple of kinds of mites that can cause curling leaves. The larger of the photos almost looks like the leaves have been burned by the sun. Were they sprayed with something while they were in the sun, or are they always in an area of full sun? Some sprays will burn the leaves if they are sprayed in the sun. Not all brugs require the same amount of sun. Some of them prefer a lot of shade while others love full sun. Most prefer some filtered shade at least in the afternoon.
Another possibility is fertilizer burn. The big spots look more like sun scald. The little dotty ones really have me baffled.
The brug virus that I'm the most familiar with seems to occur most often in the ones with genes for doubles. The leaves will sometimes have a mosaic looking pattern on them. Sometimes the leaves will look fine and other times, particularly in the winter, they will develop this mosaic pattern. It does not seem to have any effect on how the plants perform otherwise.
In answer to your question about how deep the roots will go on a five year old plant, I think the ease or difficulty in digging it up will depend on several things( if this is the reason for the question). If you will thoroughly wet down the soil around the plant before digging if the ground is hard, that will make the digging easier. It also might depend on the size of the plant and the particular cultivar. My experience has been that they are not very difficult to dig up.
Be aware that if you leave one little tiny piece of the root in the soil it might grow a new plant for you. I have two like that coming up right now from roots left from a couple of years ago. I'd also make sure I didn't plant another brug in the same spot.
What brug is that one? Maybe I will have a replacement for you if you want one.
This brug is sandwiched inbetween two healthy ones. They havent been fed or sprayed with anything.
It starts out normal looking then the leaves start to go off. The picture is one I took 2 months ago, it looks just like its neighbors but you can see where I've circled that the leaves are starting to go off.
I'm not 100% sure its a virus as its neighbors are healthy, but it certainly isn't normal! It's a Sunray.
X
In this picture you can see the one on the left is fine and the one on the right is sick. It's a mystery, but my instinct tells me to cut it down and dig it up.
X
That looks wrong I would would dig it up. If it gets hit with water off a roof and the others don't there may be a reason that is happening. Just an example. To me it looks like there is something wrong with that one plant and I would get rid of it if you can't figure out a reason for the problem.
Before you decide to discard your plant. I'd take a sample cutting to your local horicultural extension office to help make an accurate diagnosis, and recommended treatment. Who's to say digging up an affected plant would stop the disease from spreading to the neighboring healthy plants?
If it were mine, i'd dig it up and throw it out. It could be a variety of things. The name escapes me for the disease that has the yellow splotching all over the leaves. I lost my sunray to that disease last year. It was yellow and splotchy spotted looking like yours but a whole lot worse.
some one , better equipped with knowledge knows the name, I haven't had another one do the same thing that my sunray did.
I think it was dottnmd that narrowed it down to that disease, Gosh I am so forgetful, Iwish I could think of the name.
But I did throw mine out.
oh gosh, look how fast my memory came back to me
it was the mosaic virus. It didn't look exactly like this link, but it was similar
I'm not saying that's what yours is. if it'sbeen like this for a couple years , I would be thinking about this disease as well as might problems.
http://www.abads.net/Brug-Virus/brugvirus.htm
Also, I dont want to step on any toes by my postings, But it seems that if these have been growing here for a couple years andthis one has been like this in the past, then It can't be sunburn, or mites. But really does look more like a disease of some sort.
I'm no expert though, these are just my humble opinions.
I'd toss it too X. If you can send it in for diagnosis that would be great. Brugs seem so prone to the ickies. I always toss any that look weird. They are so plentiful and grow like weeds, why risk it spreading.
I agree with Kell. Sunray is a brug that is very easy to come by, and it is not worth risking your other plants for.
'Sorry I don't have Sunray anymore to replace it for you. However, I'm sure somebody will be willing if you let it be know that you are looking for one.
Good luck!
Kay
Thanks for the advice and offers .. I've cut it down, just gotta dig it up. The mother plant I got this one from is fine .. no indications what so ever of problems.
X
Make sure you boil your cutters for at least 5 minutes before reusing them.
I cleaned them with bleach, but I'll boil them too.
X
I also am no expert, but I had a Brug that began exhibiting what looked like SB some time back and successfully treated it with a brew I use for treating Amaryllis bulbs.
I segregated the plant from my other Brugs and began bombarding it with copper and Cleary's 3336G fungicide (broadcast by the cup) and regular applications of liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer.
Gradually over a period of weeks, the blackened leaf nodes disappeared.
The plant is now super healthy and has produced both flowers and seed without problems.
Sometimes a treatment suitable for curing disease in one plant can be useful for treating disease in others.
I had no idea one could clear out the SB virus. That's super good news.
As I mentioned, I am no expert in Brug diseases. My plant had the typical blackening of the stalk at the leaf nodes...and they sure were black. I took pictures at the time I noticed it and began treatment. It worked for me and this plant. It may not do the same for a different plant.
There exists a cure for all maladies. The heartaches occur in the finding of it.
I do think it better sometimes to keep sick plants segregated but available for various kinds of treatment. I don't recommend hundreds of plants be kept as a danger to the entire garden, but if a few can be maintained and experimented upon away from the general population, it can afford opportunities to study the illness and poke around for possible cures.
If I had trashed my plant, I wouldn't be blessed with all those pretty little yellow blossoms I've enjoyed since she became well.
This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 2:06 PM
Liz,
I am glad to hear of your success in treating your plant. I think that the brug community does not understand that SB or Stangle Brand is a German term for stem blight. And there are many causes and sources that can infect a brug with "SB".
And because that it seems the suaveolens species are more prone to developing stem blight, many people want to eliminate the suaveolens genes out of their hybrids.
One time I had 'Ecuador Pink' develop a type of stem blight that was worse than any stem blight that my suaveolens type brugs ever developed. So I am of the opinion (a humble opinion) that stem blight is not a species specific disease. And that any brug could become infected with stem blight.
Liz, I am glad that you are of the opinion that a plant might be able to be cured and willing to take the time to experiment with treatments. Without this attitude we (the brug growing community) will never learn if there might be a magic bullet out threre to help combat SB.
I just have to say KUDOS!!!
Thanks David...
I simply couldn't pitch the plant out. I had been searching for a true yellow Brug for my hybridizing program, and the plant was to become a major part. When I saw the blackened nodes, my heart sank. I had been through three or four plants that promised rich yellow coloring, but they didn't deliver. I simply had to make an effort.
I'm happy to say that this year she will be part of the breeding program. I've not seen the return of any discoloration on the stems and she has bloomed a very nice yellow.
Sometimes, the things we fear are both understandable and repairable.
While we are on the topic of plant viruses -- specifically Mosaic, I just learned something new in the Plumeria forum. :(
Many people are selling "Splash" Plumerias. Apparently, "Splash" is basically Mosaic Virus. And, after reading a link from University of Idaho, Brugs and Dats are susceptible to the disease these Plumerias carry. :( So, something to think about when buying a "splash" Plumeria and keeping it near your Brugs. Here's the link: http://image.fs.uidaho.edu/vide/descr345.htm
What is the best website to visit to view actual photographs of plant viruses?
Thanks.
Fred
Great that you good folks never give up searching for those magic bullets, because they are there. Keep up the experimenting and don' t lend ear to those that has resignated to sort out the facts lol I am glad that you had saved your precious yellow Brugmansia for your breeding program, Gordo :)
David, you are right about Stem Blight or stængelbrand as it is called here. It can also be seen on B. aurea, B. candida and B. insignis. I agree, that there is no guarantee to avoid SB by using B. suaveolens for hybridizing, but there are certainly no guarantee that B. suaveolens in the mix will increase the possibillity of SB in B. hybrids.
