What's up with this zinnia?#zinnia
Grown outdoors from a giant flowering rainbow mix, none of the other buds are open on this plant yet, and this isn't a case of fallen or picked petals. It looked weird the entire time it took to open. None of the other plants from this seed packet look like this. What could cause this?
Thanks!
Thanks!
6
Best Answer
@UltraKoreanfir Thanks! I looked it up, and that's definitely it! Did not know Aster Yellows could infect zinnias! It'll be interesting to see it bloom!
@Jabburwock This disease is spread through insect 🪰vectors and can spread to other plants. Is this a plant you can separate from the others? If not, I would Definitely be spraying insecticides if you keep the plant. I'd probably remove the plant if it is in a garden bed with many other plants/zinnias if you are trying to be organic/no spray. But yes ....I do also agree that it would be interesting to watch that one bloom.
@ultrakoreanfir We do not believe in the use of insecticides in outdoor gardens, as there is not a single product out there that only targets specific insects, and we care greatly about our native pollinators, inverts, reptiles and amphibians, which are all harmed by said products. Most of what we plant is native to our area to provide habitat for native wildlife - this patch of zinnias is just for fun and added color. :)
But yeah, the plant will most likely be removed, as it is too large to safely transplant without root damage at this point, and exists in an 8'x8' box of more zinnias, and we definitely don't want it to spread. It's a good thing they're annuals and so easy to grow though. If it does end up spreading, culling the entire box and starting fresh next year is no chip off my nose :)
Definitely going to take a closer look today to see if there's a population of aster leafhoppers, as I haven't really noticed any but I also haven't been searching for them either! 😅
But yeah, the plant will most likely be removed, as it is too large to safely transplant without root damage at this point, and exists in an 8'x8' box of more zinnias, and we definitely don't want it to spread. It's a good thing they're annuals and so easy to grow though. If it does end up spreading, culling the entire box and starting fresh next year is no chip off my nose :)
Definitely going to take a closer look today to see if there's a population of aster leafhoppers, as I haven't really noticed any but I also haven't been searching for them either! 😅
@Jabburwock Good job on taking a very natural approach. I usually just let nature take its course in my outdoor gardens as well. But if I knew there was a diseased plant with the possibility of it spreading, I would sadly remove it too.
I hope the rest of your zinnias will be fine and give you an abundance of beautiful flowers!
I hope the rest of your zinnias will be fine and give you an abundance of beautiful flowers!
@ultrakoreanfir Thank you! And thanks again for teaching me something new! 😃