Gardeners are being urged to take every measure possible in a bid to prevent the spread of a disease which affects Busy Lizzies.
Impatiens downy mildew disease, which affects Busy Lizzie plants only, has re-appeared in nurseries across the UK. It is believed the disease entered the country via imported Busy Lizzie cuttings.
Now everyone along the supply chain, including gardeners themselves, are being urged to play their part in trying to minimise the impacts of this disease and to prevent it from spreading.
The outcomes of recent Horticultural Development Company funded research indicates that this disease can remain in the soil where infected plants have been grown, even over the extremely cold winters we have experienced over recent years. Following these findings, BPOAssociation Technical Committee Chairman, Nigel Crosby stated: “It is vital that any diseased plants and debris that might have ended up in displays or gardens is removed as soon as possible.
“The best way of identifying if your Busy Lizzie plants are infected is by looking out for early symptoms, such as leaves which turn pale on their upperside, followed by a white discoloration on the underside. These leaves will eventually turn yellow and fall off.”
The BPOA is recommending that gardeners
- remove dying impatiens plants from beds and dispose of them to landfill (i.e. put them in your black bin and not in your green bin)
- do not dig in plant material into beds or include in compost
- avoid planting Buzy Lizzies into beds where plants have died unexpectedly
- use other bedding plant species in areas where the disease is suspected to have occurred previously (this disease is specific to Buzy Lizzies and so doesn't present any risk to other bedding plant species)
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