Zinnia--buds drying and dying

19 years ago

My Zinnias grew healthy and bloomed beautifully. I did not use any pestcide although some leaves were spotted with holes.

Recently I started noticing new buds and new leaves turn brown. When I touch it, it breaks. It seems something is sucking up the sap and dries it to death.

I see some black small round things (sugar grain size, but black) clustered on the problem buds and leaves. I do not see catapillars. I don't know what these black things that cluster on them.

Some of the buds survive and bloom but the flowers are not round and full as normal. One side of the flower is shorter, the colors not bright but brownish.

Also, other mature leaves do not look healthy green any more.

Anyone had the same problem?

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Comments (3)

maineman
19 years ago
MF,

The black round things might be aphids. Are there any small ants around? Sometimes small ants will "herd" and protect aphids so the ants can drink the sweet "honeydew" that the aphids secrete.

If a powerful magnifying glass or a low power microscope reveals that the black things have legs, that would support the guess that they are aphids.

MM
moonfair
Original Author
19 years ago
Hi MM,

Thank you for your feedback. A couple of days after I posted it, I found a short brown catapillar next to dying bud as well as 1 inch long thick white catapillar on a mature flower. The latter buried itself in the flower and was having a feast on it.
So, the mystery solved is that the flowers were eaten by these worms while there is no light, and that the black sustance was their droppings. This is my conculsion. I sprayed some organic pestcide and keep praying.
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maineman
19 years ago
MF,

I'm glad you solved the mystery. I hope the organic pesticide works. Is it BT (bacillus thuringiensis) based?

MM