Watering and Killing Black Eyed Susan Plants
by Fran
(Glenmont, NY )
I recently purchased two Black-eyed Susan plants at my local Wal-mart. They are outside in pots with drainage. We have be getting rain almost every day and they were looking good. Then two days ago they started to die. I have wartered them each day but they don't look like they are going to make it. What did I do wrong?
Fran
Doug says that plants in pots die for a variety of reasons. Mostly because of poor watering habits. The trick here is to put your finger on the soil - if it comes away damp, don't water. Only water when it comes away dry.
Now that's one reason. There are a whole bunch of other reasons but without knowing how you're gardening or how Wal-mart handles its plants (usually really poorly) I can't help you. The good news is that you can simply take them back to Wal-mart for replacements. But get them into the ground as soon as you bring them home this time.
Black Eye Susan Drooping
by Susan
(Lakewood, NJ, USA)
I planted the black eye susan perennial last summer. It bloomed last summer for a bit and then died. This year the flowers came in the begin. of July but by begin. of August the flowers are already dieing and falling off. I also notice that the leaves are drooping and in general the plant does not look too good. Any time the temp. went over 85 degrees - they started to droop in the sun. Is this normal? What am I doing wrong? I am watering them every morning for about 1/2 hr. with a circular sprinkler. Any suggestions how I can revive them or make them last longer next year?
Doug says that you can expect a bit of drooping when temps rise that high but cut out the daily watering. This is giving them very shallow root systems. So when the water disappears in mid-day, the roots struggle. Only water twice a week and put on an inch of water at each watering. In fact, with this plant, I'd be tempted to water once a week and/or ignore it unless the garden got very dry. It should take dry if the roots are good - but that constant watering is preventing it from developing an extensive root system.
Try adding a lot of compost around the plant in the early spring. Organic matter is going to even out the available soil moisture and going to feed the plant at the same time.
Let me know if this changes things.
black eyed susan turning brown
by Jane
(Macungie, PA)
What is causing the plant leaves to turn brown?
Doug says he's not there and you don't describe how the plant is growing but the main disease of this plant is powdery mildew that will turn the leaves a scabby-brown after a white powder stage - here's the link
black spots on leaves of black eye susans
by Dina
(Galloway, NJ)
why do the leaves of my black eye susans get black spots all over them.
Doug says that the Rudbeckia family is prone to 2 kinds of problems that appear as black spots. The first is powdery mildew that starts as a whitish powder (and sometimes isn't too visible) and progresses to killing off the leaf surfaces which is when you see the black spots (irregular and large).
The second is a spot fungus problem that creates small circles.
Both can be controlled (but not eliminated in this plant) by spraying with a lime sulphur or bordeaux mix. Check the labels for the how and when of spraying.
Deformed Black Eyed Susan Flowers
by Paul
(Niskayuna, NY, USA)
Have you ever seen anything like these???
The stem is flat and not round.
Never seen before,
Is there a way I can preserver these some how.
Thanks
Paul
Doug says - sorry to get back to you so late but I suspect you're seeing "Aster yellows" on this plant. It's a disease carried by leaf hoppers and there's no cure. Or mites (see below)
Unfortunately, the way you handle Aster yellows is to remove the plants, control for leaf hoppers that carry the disease, and remove any nearby weeds that might be giving the leafhoppers a home.
You're going to see it again this year as well (if you want to make sure, you can wait till you see the blooms do it again). You might also be seeing narrower leaves than normal on the plant (another symptom) or yellowing leaves.
Having said that - there are cases where mites get into the flowers and cause similar damage. If the leaves are not narrower than normal or turning yellow, then you may have mites. You can control those early in the season (and regularly throughout the season) by spraying with insecticidal soap every 3-5 days.
Good luck and sorry to take so long to get back to you.