Hollyhocks just get rust........it is pretty much a hollyhock fact of life and there's not a lot you can do for it. You could try some fungicides early in the season before you see any signs of the problem (fungicides tend to be only preventatives, not curatives and must be applied before you notice symptoms) but I have not found any that really address rust - on any kind of plant - well. Hollyhock rust is restricted only to members of that family (Malvaceae) so no worries about it spreading ramapntly throughout the garden. And there are 'supposedly' rust-resistant forms: Alcea ficifolia and A. rugosa or Russian hollyhocks tend to be better with this issue than the common, garden variety. Rust generally does not kill plants but just disfigures them to various degrees. Removing the affected foliage and destroying is about the best you can do, although mulching around the base of the plants will help prevent fungal spores from splashing up and reinfecting.

pick the infected leaves off - and you'll have to search on this but there is a weedy plant that is the host to hollyhock rust. If you can find it nearby, dig it out and destroy it. I got rid of hollyhock rust that way in a former garden. I think I found it in an Extension Service bulletin and was surprised that I did indeed have that weed nearby. You can also spray with Messenger, dust with corn gluten in the spring but there isn't much to do to kill it now.

Taken form a website by just typing in Plant Rust Plant rust is a general term that refers to a rather large family of fungi that attack plants. Frequently, when a plant is affected by rust fungi, many gardeners feel at a loss as to what to do. Rust treatment as a plant disease is startling but can be treated. Symptoms of plant rust Rust fungi are very easy to identify on the plant. It can be characterized by a rust color on plant leaves and stems. The rust will start out as flecks and will eventually grow into bumps. The plant rust will most likely appear on the underside of the leaves of the plant. The good news is that there are so many kinds of rust fungi and they are so plant specific, that if you see the rust color on plant leaves of one type of plant, you will not see it appear any other types of plants in your yard. Rust treatment for this plant disease For rust fungi, prevention is the best defense. Rust thrives in a wet environment, so do not overwater your plants. Also make sure that your plants have good air circulation in side the branches and around the plant itself. This will help it dry off itÂs leaves faster. If plant rust does affect your plant, removed affected leaves at the first sign of rust color on plant leaves. The faster the affected leaves can be removed, the better chance your plant has for survival. Be sure to dispose of these leaves. Do not compost them. Then treat your plant with a fungicide. Continue to remove leaves and treat the plant until all signs of the plant rust are gone. This a great forum to exchange ideals, but many times an answer can be found by just typing in a question in order to find a answer. I prefer Google search to get for me better results, but that is only a preference for me. Paul

Evonne: I started growing hollyhocks last year and I did have rust. An old southern lady, from whom I got some seeds, told me to amend the soil with cornmeal because that's what they do. I did it and it worked. This year, I had only two plants - one that I put in the ground in the Fall, and one that I had in the ground from early spring, and which I had treated for rust with cornmeal. This summer, I did not get around to applying the cornmeal, and the 'new' one, which had never had the cornmeal treatment, had terrible rust. I had to remove almost all the leaves. Whereas, the one which had had some treatment last summer had a little rust, but very light - not enough to cause the leaves to need removal. So I do believe that it helps, but we'll have to see if anyone else has any proven remedies. Northerner.