Is this Verticillium wilt?

14 years ago

I saw this disease mentioned on a thread about Cotinus, and now I'm concerned that it may be the answer to a question I've had for a couple of weeks - about three or more different kinds of woody plants in my garden

A pair of Cotinus 'Royal Purple' was looking spectacular one day, and the next day almost all the leaves on ONE of them had turned brown and shriveled up. A week later, one of a pair of crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia) that had been in glorious red foliage suddenly turned tan and shriveled - these were 2 different varieties, whose names escape me at the moment. Next to go was one (of 5) Stewartia pseudocamellias. Their fall foliage isn't too spectacular anyway, at least when fairly young, like mine are, but this was a seemingly overnight, total browning.

We had a VERY wet season; rain through all of June and several long wet periods with little heat through the summer. I've never had such awful foliage on tree peonies, most of which turned a uniform dark brown - even my trusty Viburnum rhytidophyllum (leatherleaf vib) had some sort of weird foliage problems (gray mottling) for the first time in about 20 years.

I'd like to see if I can diagnose this so it can be contained, If it's v. wilt, I've read that there is no treatment; so presumably the best action would be removing the effected plants.

Can I check for the cambium stain myself, or should this be done by a lab, or maybe by the Cooperative extension service?

Thanks for any advice - DtD

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
While cotinus is known to be susceptible to verticillium, neither the Stewartia or crape myrtles are recognized as being prone to this pathogen. That doesn't mean it can be eliminated as an issue, only that it is rather unlikely. There are other problems that can present similar symptoms of wilting or premature leaf drop but if this is just something that has come about in the past few weeks, I'd be more inclined to attribute it to a poor and wet growing season. Verticillium usually becomes evident in midseason, typically in the height of summer.

If you have concerns about the cotinus, I'd look to your extension service for a diagnosis. The staining often associated with VW is not necessarily always present or uniform -- sometimes tissue testing is required.

How is your drainage overall? If your soil drainage is generally good (wet summer aside), then I'd recommend waiting to see how these plants emerge in spring before I made any hasty moves. If it is VW, there's not much you can do about it now anyway but I'm leaning more towards just the effects of a poor, wet growing season.
diggingthedirt
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks, gardengal. Drainage here isn't much of an issue, especially for the cotinus, which is at the top of a stone retaining wall. Our soil's glacial outwash, so there are layers of sand, clay and silt, with sand being the most prevalent. I've got 20 years worth of compost worked in to most of the beds as well, and being a compulsive digger, most of the clayey subsoil has been removed over the years.

My garden is probably too tightly packed with plants, however, so it's possible that another fungus is responsible - something that has hit the leaves directly. An airborn fungus seems like it would have a better prognosis, so I'm really hoping this isn't VW! I'll take your advice and see what happens next spring (I can't wait).
Thanks again -DtD.
Related Discussions
Verticillium wilt in Japanese maple?
Q
Comments (1)
IME, when VW hits a Japanese maple this young, the result is fatal and fast. Like virtually overnight (2 or 3 days) to a week at most. It certainly won't hurt to leave as-is in place over winter and see what happens in spring. Any deadwood can be removed at that time (sterilize pruners between ALL cuts) or the tree could be completely gone or completely fine. I am inclined to think NOT VW because of the only partial wilting/dieback (usually see that on much more mature, established trees) and the lateness of the season. But symptoms are not alway consistent so it is still a possibility. btw, this forum gets very little traffic. You might want to post any updates or further JM queries on the Maples forum.
...See More
American persimmons and verticillium wilt
Q
Comments (6)
I would not be overly concerned - as long as you did not plant these in the exact location of the previous raspberries or maples. The verticillium pathogen is present in most soils but most often in a dormant or inactive form. It is an opportunistic pathogen in that it will become active when susceptible species are stressed (weather extremes, drought, other disease or pest issues, etc.) or experience root disturbance, like from planting or transplanting. That is why it is recommended you do not replant a susceptible species in the same location as a previous plant that has succumbed to VW. But that doesn't necessarily mean you can't plant anything in your garden that may be susceptible. It is entirely possible to have a maple tree become infected with VW in one area while a nearby maple is VW-free. There is nothing you can do to control the pathogen or prevent infection other than avoiding the previous actively infected site and taking care any new plantings are kept stress- and root damage-free. Or planting resistant species :-) Verticillium Wilt
...See More
Verticillium wilt?
Q
Comments (9)
Wayne, I put on my glasses and went out to the styrax and see the teeny holes you're talking about. Amazing what glasses can do! I have no idea what those holes are, but I do notice them everywhere there appear to be cracks in the bark. Which came first? The cracks or the holes?! Thanks for the info about the black spots on the branches being normal. I was worried where I was seeing the black rings in vascular tissue that this "blackness" could be something bad. I'm glad to hear that the consensus is that I'm not dealing with verticillium wilt. Barb, I had been wondering about sun scald/frost cracks. The triflorum and paperbark maple are damaged on the northern side of the trunks. I had thought that frost cracks were more common on the southern side. Next time you're here you'll have to check them all out. The styrax was very sudden and that area of the styrax may have been under snow for much of this past winter winter. But a good possibility. After hearing everyone's responses I do have to start thinking that the specific trees in the yard (or maybe groups of trees) are afflicted with different things, and not the terrible veticillium wilt. When I see pictures of the vascular tissue afflicted with verticillium wilt, I know I've seen this in branches I've cut from some of my trees. This is what first led me down the path of verticillium wilt. More oddly as stated earlier that Katsura is resistant, I'm sure the Katsura had the black rings in the vascular tissue and that tree in particular was declining yearly to the point where I finally cut it down. The other trees, although not looking great in the area of bark appear to be no worse for wear as of yet. I really appreciate everyone's responses and will continue to observe. I'm curious about these teeny tiny holes in the Styrax so I'll try to check into that as well. Thanks everyone.
...See More
I think my Winecraft Cotinus has Verticillium Wilt
Q
Comments (8)
I had installed all new landscaping and have watered somewhat frequently. ==>>> how do you water .. lawn irrigation .. is usually not sufficient for newly planted large plants .. you need to insure you are getting water down into the root mass .. not just the first inch.. like a lawn likes ... dig some small holes with a hand trowel or tablespoon.. AND FIND OUT about water at depth ... down where the roots are .. both in the gob planted.. and native soil ... and then water accordingly ... i would hope you were sold 'clean' stock ... i would expect that Ag inspectors would be on the look out for such things as VW ... and i would not expect it to appear.. within 6 weeks of purchase ... so i would presume its not getting enough water ... and the mildew is classic overhead watering at night in the heat of summer when the leaves stay damp all night long.. hence the question about how they are watered ... in other words.. you jumped out to an extreme diagniosis ... before you have verified the primary needs of the plant ... so lets start with wateing... btw.. the plants are still in transplant stress/shock... they are not hungry ... fert is not a response to any of this ... ken
...See More
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
can you tell the diff between mildew and fungus...

powdery mildew is the first thing that came to my mind.. and is prevalent wit a lack of air circulation.. in an over-stuffed garden ...

words just arent going to get you very far here.. you either need to post some pix... or head to the extension agent

good luck

ken
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
14 years ago
With the clayey subsoil, do you tend to get puddling after heavy rains? I have a swamp at the bottom of my yard. Because of the wet weather, the squish has seeped into more of the yard than usual, and areas that are usually fine aren't. This is what I'm attributing the sudden browning/leaf drop of a volunteer maple near the top of the swamp to.
diggingthedirt
Original Author
14 years ago
No puddling here, especially (now that I think about it) in any of the 3 locations where these shrubs are: top of the wall, my old vegetable garden, and a double-dug mixed bed that has never gotten any kind of compaction (because there's a low "dog fence" around it).

I have photos of the stewartia and crape myrtle in this album; actually 2 specimens of each, before and after, to show that one is completely brown and the other is still in color. Maybe this is overkill ... and I should just wait and see what happens in spring.
{{gwi:282903}}wilt_fall_2009
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
frankly.. the pics look like my garden.. after the first hard frost ...

i do NOT grow most of the plants you ask about... but i do have a smokebush .. it is deciduous up here.. so browning leaves in november.. isnt all that surprising...

frost is a weird creature.. able to hit a whole plant.. or just parts of the plants.. especially in an over-stuffed garden ....

frost would also answer why otherwise evergreen plants for your zone might be affected ....

there is a website that tracks temps by zip code ... but i dont have the link .... see link

but i think you are on the right track ... its november... its not really time to be FIXING things with chemicals.. or jumping to conclusions about removal .. personally i would wait until spring and see what develops ....

one other oddity.. is that in your otherwise.. presumably healthy garden.. a bunch of diverse plants.. get a weird malady.. overnight.. again.. bringing me back to frost .... the odds of such is astronomical ... but for wild temp swings ....

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: it popped into my head

Is this Verticillium wilt?

Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

diggingthedirt
Original Author

Related Discussions

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

diggingthedirt
Original Author

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Is this Verticillium wilt?

Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

diggingthedirtOriginal Author

Related Discussions

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

diggingthedirtOriginal Author

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

diggingthedirt
Original Author

diggingthedirt
Original Author