Horticulture 2019 Newsletter: July 15, 2019

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UPCOMING EVENTS

KNLA Summer Event
July 18 & 19
John C. Pair Horticultural Research Center, Haysville
For more information, contact [email protected]
Turf & Ornamentals Field Day
Thursday, August 1
K-State Research & Extension Center, Olathe

 

The K-State Turf and Ornamentals Field Day will be held
Thursday, August 1 at the Research & Extension Center
in Olathe (35230 W. 135th
). The field day program is
designed for all segments of the turf industry – lawn care,
athletic fields, golf courses, and grounds maintenance.
Included on the program are research presentations,
problem diagnosis, commercial exhibitors, and equipment
displays. There will be time to see current research, talk
to the experts and get answers to your questions.
1 hour of pesticide recertification credit is available in
both 3A and 3B, as well as GCSAA education points. For more information and to register, go

to: https://2019turfday.eventbrite.com

 

 

FLOWERS

Daylilies are a great fit for Kansas. There are many
varieties that grow well here. I particularly like browsing
the photo gallery at the Flint Hills Daylily Society chapter
(https://www.flinthillsdaylily.org/gallery) for my favorite
ones. They are mostly problem free but I did recently see
some daylily streak (Aureobasidium microstictum) on a
recent walk. It isn’t that common in Kansas, but wet
conditions this spring likely the triggered the disease.

 

Daylily leaf streak starts as long yellow streaks that turn a reddish brown. Heavily infected leaves
scorch back and die early.

The disease is favored by moderate temperatures and wet conditions. Daylily streak can spread
by splashing water droplets. Although you can’t manage the rain, you can time irrigation so that
your plants are watered in the morning. This allows leaves to dry out quickly and reduce
conditions that favor disease development. A mature daylily planting can be crowded leading to
poor air circulation and prolonged periods of leaf wetness. Good plant spacing will improve air
flow and help to dry out plants quickly. The disease can also be moved on tools, so avoid
working around wet plants

Inspect plants when purchasing them and always start with healthy, disease-free plants (ie no
spots on the leaves). If just one plant in the landscape is showing symptoms, you might be able to
stay ahead of the disease by picking off and dispose infected leaves. Daylily leaf streak will
overwinter in the leaf litter, so cleaning up the flower bed will help to reduce the amount of
disease that is carried over to the next growing season. If daylily leaf streak shows up annually, it
might be worth isolating the problem daylily from the rest of the planting.

The best strategy for managing day lily leaf streak…is through the use of resistant cultivars.
Disease susceptibility varies and lists of resistant varieties are not easily available. A few
varieties reported by Clemson University are: Betty Bennet, Edna Spalding, Ella Pettigrew,
Globe Trotter, Nancy Hicks, Pink Superior, Ron Rousseau, Sudie, Tropical Tones, Upper Room,
and Winsome Lady.

 

(K-State Research and Extension)

www.k-state.edu

 

 

 

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