Knowledgebase
Milkweed spots #869443
Asked May 21, 2024, 12:10 PM EDT
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Some pathogens can cause stem wilting as they disrupt or kill the tissues carrying water and sap into the growth above. They can enter though injury (if the stem was wounded by a mower or weed-whacker, for instance) or might infect the plant directly, though generally this happens when the plant is already under stress from some environmental cause (drought, being too wet, etc.). No fungicide would be useful to cure or treat such a condition, and here too, collateral harm to insects or other organisms might occur, even though such products target fungi.
For now, just monitor the plant and cut back any wilted stems if needed. If the roots are vigorous enough and still healthy, the plant should regrow new stems in due time. Leaf reddening in many plants can be a stress response (even the purplish-red color around pinpoints of infected leaf tissue is a typical response to leaf spot pathogens), but it can be hard to determine exactly what stress factor is responsible since symptoms can overlap.
Miri