Yellows plant disease on carmine? - Ask Extension
Does my catmint have yellow aster disease?
It barely bloomed and looks dreadful, with discolored leaves. I removed some coneflowers in my garden las...
Knowledgebase
Yellows plant disease on carmine? #875744
Asked July 02, 2024, 9:23 PM EDT
Does my catmint have yellow aster disease?
It barely bloomed and looks dreadful, with discolored leaves. I removed some coneflowers in my garden last year that had the yellows and the coneflowers that came up this year are now showing signs of it, so I will get rid of them. If it is not yellows, then what’s wrong with my catmint?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
This is a very common symptom on Catmint this time of year, and is not caused by the Aster Yellows disease. The leaf speckling, called stippling, is caused by sap-sucking insects, in this case probably leafhoppers. (Thrips are an additional possibility, but we usually see leafhoppers on plants with this degree of damage.) Nothing needs to be done, as the plants aren't seriously affected (aesthetics aside) in terms of their long-term health, and plants with heavy leafhopper feeding damage leaf-out normally the following spring. If cut back now, they will probably regrow and look better, at least until another generation of leafhoppers colonizes the plant.
If a Catmint plant barely bloomed, it might not be getting enough sun. Is it planted in full sun (6-8 hours of direct summer sun)? If not, they will struggle to flower well and may flop over (more than they already naturally do by midsummer).
Miri
If a Catmint plant barely bloomed, it might not be getting enough sun. Is it planted in full sun (6-8 hours of direct summer sun)? If not, they will struggle to flower well and may flop over (more than they already naturally do by midsummer).
Miri