Talkback: Hollyhock rust

meadoradelfine

My hollyhocks have had rust for 3 years now. I've always put it doiwn to the same rust as my apple tree and hawthorn hedge suffer with.Obviously not! I pulled all the infected leaves from the hollyhocks and burnt them. As soon as I saw the leaves starting with rust I removed the the infected ones and sprayed each p[lant thoroughly with a specific fungus killer.
Even the self seeded youngsters have the rust...so have been sprayed as well... and all will be sprayed regularly.
Fingers crossed!

gordonthegarden

Excellent answers to my problem, as I have a big problem with rust on the hollyhocks. However there is no mention if Systemic Fungicide spraying will harm the bees. I have read the lables on various products and no mention what so ever if it will effect the bees in anyway.

junerose43

have also rust on my hollyhocks, have removed many leaves and they are flowering now, would prefer not to spray, would mulching the soil beneath help? if so which mulch works best?

MelB

Great - brief and clear. My first-ever double hollyhocks are flowering beautifully but the infection is spreading fast. I think I'd better remove, destroy and fungicide spray as well, I'm afraid. And thanks Meadoradelfine for warning to monitor new self-seeded plants too.

Ele Brown

Last year I read on a gardener's forum to spread corn meal around the hollyhock in the winter/spring. I was dubious but thought I had nothing to lose so I did that and no rust lasy year! You need to use corn meal not corn flour. I found it in a continental shop.

danielle giampappas

i have little tree frogs that live in my gardens so i use no chemicals, how would i resolve the rust on my hoolyhocks organically?

sotongeoff

No -only using a chemical spray will control rust-you will need to dispose of them after flowering and the spores can remain in the soil-there are rust resistant varieties available -check those out