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Coreopsis buds turning brown, not opening #876186

Asked July 07, 2024, 11:58 AM EDT

I have five coreopsis plants that I bought and planted last year. Three are in the ground and two are in very large pots. All of them except for one of the potted ones is producing buds that turn brown and never open. The plants have very few flowers on them. The two potted plants are in full sun and the garden plants are in full sun for several hours a day. I gave all the plants some fertilizer for flowering plants in early or mid June. I have been watering everything several time a week because termperatures have been in the high 80s and 90s. I apologize for the quality of my photos.

Anne Arundel County Maryland

Expert Response

Unfortunately it's hard to tell from the photos what is causing these symptoms, but sometimes aborted flowers (those that fail to open or which die soon after opening) are caused by environmental stress, insects, or infection. In the case of insects, thrips are often responsible, and they can be small and hard to see, especially in yellow or dark blooms since the insects are often yellow or black, or in blooms which never open, because the thrips are tucked into the bundled flower parts. If you peel open several of the buds, look for yellow rice-shaped tiny insects (the thrips). While they can also be common in normal flowers, so their presence isn't a guarantee that they were responsible, if numerous, that might indicate the source of the problem. Infections that cause "bud blast" (another term for unopened flowers) may be due to Botrytis (also called gray mold), which despite its name, won't necessarily have much in the way of visible moldy growth on the outside of the flower when the weather is dry.

The only recourse for both thrips and Botrytis is to remove the affected flowers by clipping them off. (Dispose of them rather than putting them into a compost pile.) No insecticide or fungicide is recommended (or effective, in this situation). If it was due at least in part to moisture stress, feel the soil around four inches deep (for in-ground plants) or a couple inches (for potted plants) to determine when it's somewhat dry to the touch; at that point, a thorough watering may help the plant avoid more bud blast.

Miri

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