How to Solve Problems With Daylilies

Nearly all varieties of daylilies grow and bloom every year without much care. However, there are a few problems that some gardeners around the country deal with when growing daylilies. These include drainage problems, pests, crown rot and daylily rust. Solve these problems by improving the soil and planting location and removing pests and diseased portions of the plant.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Two of these four fungicides: propaconizole, azoxystrobin, flutolonil, myclobutanil
• Shovel
• Peat moss, compost or humus
• Insecticide
• Cardboard
• Petroleum jelly
• Sharp knife
• Bleach

1. Plant your daylilies in well-drained soil to prevent them from getting too wet. Raise up the bed with soil or sand that has been mixed with peat moss, compost or humus.
2. Control pests like aphids and thrips, which can be a problem for daylilies. They are sometimes found on the leaves and between petals. To make a sticky trap, paint a piece of cardboard blue, cover it with petroleum jelly and place it near the daylilies. This will attract the thrips. Apply a general insecticide as a last resort, as they generally are not successful with thrips and aphids. Thrips also have natural enemies that are beneficial insects, such as lady bugs and lacewings.
3. Avoid crown and root rot caused by bacteria in the soil. This is caused by poor air circulation, high temperatures, poor soil drainage and over-fertilization. Allow any wounds in the plants to dry out before planting. Discard all rotted plant material.
4. Eliminate crown rot on the roots of a daylily. Dig up the plant, wash it off, cut away the rot on the root, soak it in bleach and water and allow the root to completely dry before replanting.
5. Remove daylily rust, a fungus that looks like brown dots or rust, by very carefully peeling back and pulling off outer leaves of the plant so you have a clean edge at the crown of the plant. After removing a few layers, they will start to break instead of peeling off cleanly at the crown. When this happens, cut the remainder 1 to 2 inches above the crown instead of peeling them. Dip the stalk in fungicide to remove the rust. Apply alternately two of the following four fungicides according to the package directions: propaconizole, azoxystrobin, flutolonil and myclobutanil.
6. Keep infected plants away from others so the rust doesn’t contaminate your healthy daylilies. The infested leaves that you removed should be placed in a plastic bag and disposed of so the spores don’t transfer to healthy daylilies.