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Subject: Fungus and Fulva
Date: 1/24/00

I reported some time back that I thought that my I.fulva "Yellow Dazzler" had been blasted by frost.....I now suspect that was not the case. I see a lot of rust looking fungus on many iris.We have had cool damp weather & no rain.I guess the infection began under nasturtiums where the I.fulva was growing. What do you use to get rid of rust ? I don't like to use a lot of toxic sprays in the garden. Help would be appreciated.

Doug
In fungus ravaged Long Beach Ca.

The damage to the plant is not reversible. Cutting away the diseased parts is the generally recommended procedure. The fungicides are more of a preventative aid than a cure. You will need to change the environment at some point to minimize the environmental conditions that favor fungus growth. Housekeeping is a major part of the best control strategy. Fungicides can then be used to control the spores that have already spread but which are not visibly manifest at this time.

About toxicity. Everything is toxic in excess. The dose makes the poison. Don't confuse the dose toxic to fungus as necessarily being toxic to anything else. At times the choice with fungus disease is to either use fungicides, accept ugly looking plants or eliminate the plant from the garden so it is not a vector to other plants which would be fine if not exposed to such high concentrations of fungus spores from such seriously diseased neighbors.

Harold Peters
Beautiful View Iris Garden,
El Dorado Hills, CA USDA zone 9
harold@directcon.net
http://www.beautiful-view-iris.com
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