Abnormal growth on aster - Ask Extension
One of my New England aster plants has developed this abnormal looking growth. What is the cause of this growth? Should I be concerned about it?
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Abnormal growth on aster #869885
Asked May 24, 2024, 8:41 AM EDT
One of my New England aster plants has developed this abnormal looking growth. What is the cause of this growth? Should I be concerned about it?
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi,
It appears that there is only only plant in the group that is exhibiting these symptoms. It is possible it is a virus like "aster yellows" but sometimes it is easier to diagnose once it is blooming. It could be another virus or stressor causing the growth and early blooming as well.
You could jut remove that plant incase it is so it will be less likely to spread. Keep an eye on the other plants or if you have any Black-eyed Susans or Echinacea as well.
Feel free to send back any photos if you have more concern.
Emily
Hi Emily,
The first bloom on the aster with weird growth opened yesterday, and it is perfectly normal. I had Aster Yellows on a few cone flowers last year, so I am familiar with the appearance of blooms from infected plants. Is it okay to remove the odd growth? Except for rabbit damage, all other plants are fine.
Andrea
Hello Andrea,
It's unexpected to have an Aster blooming this early. Is the plant near a source of light at night? Sometimes plants sensitive to photoperiod (how many hours of daylight or night/dark occur in a day) will bloom out of season (or not bloom when they're expected to) due to the influence of light after sunset. In either case, if the flowers look normal, there's no harm in leaving the plant and continuing to monitor it for any additional unusual symptoms. Perhaps this was a fluke and nothing is wrong, especially since the foliage looks fine so far. There isn't really a need to remove the flowers (it should not detract from their ability to bloom later), but you can snip them off if you want to.
Miri
It's unexpected to have an Aster blooming this early. Is the plant near a source of light at night? Sometimes plants sensitive to photoperiod (how many hours of daylight or night/dark occur in a day) will bloom out of season (or not bloom when they're expected to) due to the influence of light after sunset. In either case, if the flowers look normal, there's no harm in leaving the plant and continuing to monitor it for any additional unusual symptoms. Perhaps this was a fluke and nothing is wrong, especially since the foliage looks fine so far. There isn't really a need to remove the flowers (it should not detract from their ability to bloom later), but you can snip them off if you want to.
Miri
Hi Miri,
The plant is not close to light at night. The original photos actually showed that the blooms are on a small branch of the plant that has abnormal leaves. However, the rest of the plant is fine. It makes me think of a witch’s broom.
Andrea
A witches-broom is possible, though would explain congested growth more than out-of-season flowering. Either way, prune it or not, it's your choice. Fortunately, the plant looks like it's doing well.
Miri
Miri
