Eranthis disease

[pehe]

For the last 3 years I have had problems with Eranthis pinnatifida .
It grows and flowers well, but before the seeds are ripe, some of the stems withers. Sometimes it starts from the leaves (pic 1) and sometimes it starts at the lower part of the stem. I suspect it is caused by a kind of fungi, but I am not sure.
For the last two years, they have been growing in the open garden all year, but this year I brought the plant indoor to get better pollination and to avoid too much moisture. But it withers exactly as the two previous years. I have tried a fungicide without results.

My Eranthis hyemalis in the garden are sometimes infected by smut fungi (Urocystis eranthidis) but that looks totally different. (The stems burst with black fungi spores, pic 3 from the internet)
Could it be the same fungi which acts different on pinnatifida?

Is there a fungicide against Urocystis eranthidis?

Luckily I have another pot of Eranthis pinnatifida which is healthy and with many fat seed pods .

Poul

[WimB]

Poul, I don't think it's smut, like you said: smut is characterised by the black galls that burst open after a while....I would guess it's a fungus at the base of the leaf-stem, have you ever looked at the corm of the efected plant when they start showing their first symptoms?

[pehe]

No, I have only seen the corm when it was dormant, and then it looked healthy. I will have a look at it today and post a pic.

Poul

[brianw]

There has been comments on using Potassium phosphite as a fungicide on another discussion group. Anyone tried using phosphite for this purpose? There are many comments online if you search. Is this widely available other than on-line under a trade name or otherwise? I thought of trying it on Eranthis smut. You get the added benefit of the Potassium boost for bulbs.

[mark smyth]

My Guinea Gold are infected and after trying several fungicides nothing seems to work. I spray immediately they show and again when the flowers are going over

[pehe]

Wim, here are some pics of the Eranthis pinnatifida stem and corm. It seems I have turned the corm upside down, during repotting last year.

Brian, thank you for the hint, it is worth trying.

Mark, sorry to hear your Guinea Gold are infected.

Poul

[WimB]

Hmmm, the infection might have come from below but I would say it didn't..... It's something I haven't seen before, it is a fungal infection but the corm seems to be unaffected.

Never used Potassium phosphite...wouldn't know where to find it either...I guess you can order it under that name in an apothecary? For bulbs I use Potassium sulphate...the sulfur should work as a fungicide too.

[Alan_b]

Some of us Galanthophiles have become quite keen on the beneficial fungus Trichoderma harzianum.  This needs a soil with some humus and is presumably killed if your treat with fungicide but it is supposed to combat damping-off in seedlings so might work here.

See http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6697.0

[pehe]

Alan, it is worth trying.
I have in fact a product called 'Binab TF WP' which contains Trichoderma polysporum and Trichoderma harzianum. I will treat the corm and the new compost when I repot.

Poul