Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[KentGardener]

Hi Susanne

To me it just looks like a bit of frost damage followed by being shoved in a plastic bag.  I would get it potted up separately and out in the fresh air asap.  As a precaution I would be inclined to keep it away from everything else (just in case it goes down with botritus or something) - but I expect next year it will be fine.

[Alan_b]

Well the bulb looks healthy enough but the leaves look too dead to do any more work this year so I would cut the leaves off and bin them to be on the safe side, then pot-up the bulb.

[Yorkshirelass]

Thanks John and Alan - I have fished the offending snowdrop out of the bin and will pot it up today and put it into quarantine (my other snowdrops are free range, so there shouldn't be any chance of a mix-up). Susanne

[bulborum]

I bought some snowdrops
7 days on transport with DHL
and 15 phone calls later a broken parcel
9 packets with snowdrops missing
sleepless nights
the pictures tells enough

Roland

[mark smyth]

 

My guess is the bulbs may be OK. How do they feel?

[bulborum]

Hi mark

Most bulbs are ok but many packets contain 2 , 3 , or 4  sorts
with the label fixed  on the leaves so
many mixed bulbs you understand and a lot of work next year
for sorting out
good lesson always pack one sort by one

Roland

[KentGardener]

I've just seen my first ever Narcissus fly - sitting on the leaves of my one and only bulb of 'Don Armstrong'.  I've sprayed the critter with fly killer - but my question now is do I dig the bulb up and look at it or leave it and hope for the best.  If I do dig it up will I be looking to see a fly egg or something?   

Please help to put my mind at rest.   

[johnw]

I've just seen my first ever Narcissus fly - sitting on the leaves of my one and only bulb of 'Don Armstrong'.  I've sprayed the critter with fly killer - but my question now is do I dig the bulb up and look at it or leave it and hope for the best.  If I do dig it up will I be looking to see a fly egg or something?   

Please help to put my mind at rest.   

How about a good drench of Provado and then a screen atop until fully dormant?

johnw

[mark smyth]

They have been active for a few weeks now. I saw my first in mid May. Killed lots and it feels good when it's a female. I've been sparying with an agricultural insecticide on the leaves and at the leaf bases.

John the eggs are minute so you'll probably not see it anyway

[mark smyth]

My nail is 15mm across. The enlarged photo shows my nail 15cm across. That makes each egg - someone do the mathmatics please

[mark smyth]

I think I worked it out. The eggs in the opened photo are 10mm making them 1mm in real life = not easy to see on a leaf

[fredg]

I cant stop Stag but I can now stop the fly. It only takes a very small amount in a wheel barrow of planting mix to stop them for two years

Did anyone ever find out of what?

[Alan_b]

.... I've been sparying with an agricultural insecticide on the leaves and at the leaf bases.....

You need access to agricultural insecticides to be able to stop the narcissus fly.

[mark smyth]

Alan I showed your photos to Brian Duncan who is a Narcissus expert here in N Ireland. This is his reply

"Mark,
It all looks horrible - there is evidence of bulb scale mite, basal rot and neck rot - presumably these all attack snowdrops as well as daffodils. Were the bulbs dry stored before planting? Is the plot suitably drained? Were the bulbs planted deep enough? Were the bulbs from healthy stock? - so many questions, but no definate answers. If I had such bulbs I'd subject them to Hot Water Treatment with fungicide and insecticide (112F / 44c for 2 hours) - that would sort them.
Brian"

[Maggi Young]

(1112F for 2 hours)

   1112 F... are you sure??