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I have a butterfly garden with beebalm and purple coneflowers. One purple coneflower plant has wilted leaves - edges are brown - no other plant effected. I have no idea what is happening. These plants are very drought resistant. I am afraid it will start effecting other plants. Help please.
Plants: 6 | From: Indiana | Registered: Jul 2003
| Seeded: 165.139.124.149
I know what your talking about. We've had an excess of rain here in SC. I came home at lunch time and saw a few cone flowers with the same symptoms u described. I have seen this before, but the plants seem to come right back are the sun sets. My guess is that a few certain plants are reacting to the heat and humidity a little different than others.(yesterday was cool and rainy;today was humid and hot) I bet if i go out there right now (it's 1:39 am!!) they will look just fine. Impatiens do the same thing. When the sun hits them they sometimes wilt Sunset comes, and they are ok.
Now, have u fertilized them recently? U must watch it in the heat of the summer. That can effect your plants too! Now i did have a problem last year with grubs eating the roots of my tender young cones. i dug up the dead plant and most always found a grub!!! Another pest was the cut worm. I finally got him with spectricide... When the cone flower is established there shouldn't be that much of a problem with cut worms or grubs because the roots and plant stalks are much tougher. If i think there is a problem with grubs, i just buy a bag of granular insecticide made just to kill grubs. I sprinkle some around the plant in question. Mole activity is a certain possibilty. If u have lots of grubs and worms in your soil, they will attract moles. Moles won't eat the roots, but the mice and voles that travel the tunnels will. My cone flowers are looking so nice this year. I planted several hundred around the culd-de-sac in front of my house. took some pics late this afternoon. Can't wait to see them. If a plant does die, i would surely dig it up and see what's going on down there. Good luck with your coneflowers. Hope something i said might help u!
* * * * Bob
Plants: 640 | From: in my garden | Registered: Jan 2003
| Seeded: 152.163.252.99
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