If you have a shady spot in your yard where you usually
plant impatiens, you may need to rethink your choice this year. There is a new disease that is devastating to
impatient plantings called downy mildew.
Downy mildew is a fungal disease that cannot be controlled
once your impatiens show symptoms. If
left in the bed, you wind up with nothing but green sticks. In fact, the local growers are not even going
to offer impatiens this year. You may be
able to find them in the big box stores, but I still would not recommend buying
them.
Bed of green sticks.
Downy mildew shows up when the leaves yellow and curl. If we have humid weather, you can flip the
leaves over and see a white coating of the fungal spores. Eventually, all the flowers and leaves will
fall off, and all you can do is pull them up.
Fungus on the underside of the leaves.
So, how does downy mildew get on them? Well, unfortunately, more ways than one. The fungal spores can be blown in on the
winds of a thunderstorm. After they are
on your impatiens, the spores can be spread by water splash as you go around
with the hose. Replanting with new
impatiens won’t work either, as researchers think that the spores may linger in
the soil. There is even talk that the
disease may be seed borne, and the healthy looking plants at the big box stores
may in actuality have the disease already.
The plant breeders are on the scene, working to make a
selection that is resistant to this. In
the meantime, maybe try begonias for a change.
