What Is Wrong With My Chinese Lantern Plant?

Are there any brown lesions on leaves, that later develop brown or yellow concentric rings?

Are the seedlings dying and the stems are girdled or rotted at soil line?

Are there any irregularly shaped dull yellow areas along leaf margins which expand to leaf midrib and create a characteristic "V-shaped" lesion?

Are the leaves covered with white powder?

Are the leaves mottled with dark green?

Do the leaves have large, ragged holes in them?

Are the leaves curled and yellow?

Are the seedlings clipped off at the soil line?

These symptoms indicate Alternaria leaf spot. Warm, wet conditions favor this fungal disease. Spray infected plants with copper and/or sulfur to prevent further disease development. Plant only pathogen-free seed from a reputable nursery.

If your seedlings are falling over and the stems are girdled or rotted at the soil line, the most likely cause is a damping-off disease. Remove and destroy all infected plants. To prevent damping-off let the soil surface dry between waterings, thin seedlings to avoid overcrowding, and do not add nitrogen fertilizers until plants have developed leaves.

These symptoms indicate a bacterial disease - Black rot. Prevent this disease by providing well-drained soil and by using a 2-year rotation. Plant resistant varieties. Control cruciferous weed species which may act as a reservoir for bacteria. Plant pathogen-free seed.

White, powdery patches on the leaves are caused by a fungal disease Powdery mildew. Powdery mildew usually appears in damp places. Encourage good air circulation around the affected plants by thining them and any surrounding plants. Water plants from bellow to keep foliage dry. Any affected leaves should be cut off and removed. Any commercial fungicidal spray will protect your plant from further infections.

Mottled or streaked leaves are caused by Mosaic Virus. There is no cure for infected plants. Remove and destroy all flowers that have the symptoms of the mosaic virus. Mosaic virus is spread by aphids, so the best way of preventing the disease is to control these insects.

Large, ragged holes in the leaves are caused by slugs and snails. Slugs and snails feed on the plant leaves usually at night. To control slugs and snails use diatomaceous earth around your plants. You can also handpick them during the night or use shallow dishes filled with beer as a trap.

Distorted, curled leaves are caused by aphids. These tiny insects cluster under leaves and on growing tips where they feed on plant sap. Leaves, stems, and buds get distorted, and later leaves and flowers drop from the plant. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap should be used with severe infestations.

Cutworms feed at night by cutting off young plants and sometimes eating them whole. During the day, they are hidden below the soil surface. Control them by introducing parasitic nematodes to the ground. Using BTK spray on the ground will also control their numbers.

If there are tiny holes in leaves they are caused by Flea beetles. These tiny, black, brown, or bronze beetles hop when disturbed. Larvae are small and white, feed mostly on the undersides of leaves. Prevent problems by covering young plants with row cover. Control severe infestations by spraying or dusting plants with pyrethrin.