Phlox

[suncatcher]

Tonite in checking out my flower bed, I came upon my phlox "David". I noticed on the middle to lower leaves there were black specks. Does anyone what this is?suncatcher

[mla2ofus]

Sounds like mildew. Phlox are kind of prone to that if they don't get good air circulation.

[donybee]

My "David has a mildew problem every year. The best way I have foung is to go in and thin it out so there is better air movement around the stems. I also have split it several times. In the past I sprayed it with soapy water. David and Mt Fuji are the only ones I have a problem with.

[gardenlady]

and i remember when david came out, the big claims were how mildew resistant it was and it is the first one at work to be completely white with mildew.... <_<

[suncatcher]

No I know its not powderly mildew, I know what that looks like. These are little tiny black specks. Maybe its from an insect? I hope it'll be alright. That "David" is a real pretty white phlox.

[MrSeedy]

Even the most "mildew resistant" varieties are not completely immune from the disease, but on those it should be lighter and not as damaging, should it appear at all. There are also other fungus problems as well, so it could be insects or fungus as well. In general , though making the phlox somewhat unsighly sometimes, with them losing most of their lower leaves over the course of the summer, it's still doesn't seem to kill most or even leave and permanent damage as far as overall health and furture growth of the plants. I think it's only the unsightly nature of the mildew that bothers most gardeners.

[gizmo]

i have a red phlox...don't know the exact name..and i get brown specks and yellowing of the lower leaves on them. i do my watering at night so i suspect it's from the moisture left on the leaves overnight that causes this. they still do just fine.