Lily problem

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with my Stargazer lilies? They are turning yellow and then brown. They are in with many other lilies and only the stargazer are turning yellow.

Thank you
Jennifer

Looks like some kind of fungus. Try spraying with a fingicide.

Thank you, I'll give it a try

It looks like the same thing that happened to my hardy hibiscus. However, I think mine is too far gone for a fungicide to do any good. Do you think the hibiscus will come back next year? Should I just cut it to the ground now? I would think if I just leave it, the fungus will spread to other plants. Or maybe I should spray as a preventitive to keep it from spreading. Any thoughts out there?

shebs--you might start a new thread for yours and post some pictures, people will be able to give you better advice then. I suspect with your hibiscus it's probably a watering issue, but pics would really help.

Ninety-nine percent of plant problems are cultural and not the result of disease or insect damage. Cultural problems include too much or not enough water, too much or not enough sun, temperatures unsuited to a particular plant, the pH of the soil, things planted too deeply or too shallow, to name a few. It's best to eliminate the possibility that a plant is in an environment unsuited for it before assuming that a fungal or other disease is present. People should not be given antibiotics unless they are sick with a disease that will respond to a particular antibiotic, and plants should not be sprayed or otherwise treated for disease unless there is evidence that disease exists. When there is a question, if possible, let a CERTIFIED nursery professional see a sample of the part of the plant that is in question and get an opinion. If they say, "It has a fungus," ask them to explain the clues that cause them to make that diagnosis. If you ask a general employee, chances are overwhelming that you are not going to get an accurate diagnosis. It's easy to suggest that you spray with this or that, and it also increases sales for the place of business. As ecrane says, without a GOOD photo or, even better, a sample of the sick LOOKING part of the plant, any attempt to figure out what is going on is a stab in the dark.

Thanks ecrane and dp -- good information. However, I don't think it is planted in the wrong location, since last year it was very healthy and had many beautiful blooms. It started out very strongly this year, then all of a sudden turned yellow with brown edges and wilted (might be a watering issue). I will start a new thread after I take a photo.

Don't know your outdoor temps, but it could be just cold night air, as for the depth of the bulbs, most bulbs should be planted 3 times the size of the bulbs to offer support, shelter from heat/cold and to let the bulbs remain undisturbed by weeding/hoeing etc, so if your bulb measures 2 inches from growing tip to root end, then you should plant the bulb 6 inches under the ground, your problem could also be attack under the soil, too dry, insects or not enough feeding over the years, depending how close they are all growing together, the lily looks like it has flower buds forming, so I would keep an eye on it, then right after flowering, lift the bulb out the soil and examine it, it should be healthy, plump and feel firm, dont cut off the foliage unless you see signs of disease, like soft bulb tissue, insects or some other form of stress that caused the bulb to look the way it is, also put you finger into the soil to see if the soil is too dry/wet where the bulb was growing,
When/if you replant it, let the foliage die back into the bulb if you know it is healthy, as this helps feed the bulbs for next years flowers, if you can replant it, then add a feed like fish/blood and bone meal to the soil to give the bulb some slow release feeding over the winter time and early spring to encourage good healthy growth, your finger test should tell you IF you need to alter your watering regime. Good luck. WeeNel.

Thank you WeeNel. These were planted last fall. This is a brand new bed.

This has just been a stumper for me since all the other varieties of lilies right around these Stargazers are in perfect shape! Two of the stargazers are actually looking better (I have done nothing) and the one in the picture so far is not looking worse. The buds do not look like they are going to open. But I will wait until all the lilies are done blooming and then I will lift these and check them out according to your instructions. Thank you again.

I have included a picture of my "good" lilies

Jennifer