Question
Hello, I have an area (about 10x5 feet) of tulips. Zone 6, wet springs. All three years that i plant them they emerge in spring looking healthy, buds look good too. Botrytic spots appear  a few days after the bud opens. There are very few spots on leaves and when i dig out the bulbs in June i throw away all bulbs with discolorations of any kind- there usually  just one or two.
 Should i add some fungicide in summer when i store them? Should I spray the soil with fungicide? last year i sprayed the young plants but it didn't help.  Should I  discard a foot of soil and put a new soil?  What fungicide would you recommend? The tulips are different cultivates but all of them affected.iro8x
 Thank you,
  Alla

Answer
Alla:
I am to assume that someone has examined your plants and determined Botrytis was present and is causing the problem. First, be sure that the soil drains well- wet soils can spell a big problem! Good general guidelines are:  Be sure to store your bulbs in a cool/dry area. Be sure to remove as much soil from the bulbs as possible and store them in something like pantyhose or open weave material for good ventilation. You can add something like sawdust in the container.  Also, be sure bulbs are dry when you put them up for storage.  Botrytis (gray mold)is a fungus that is considered ubiquitous in the environment. It can cause all types of diseases including storage rots.

At this point, I would not do the soil removal thing. Your 10 X 5 area--be sure that it gets plenty of sun and good air movement (may need to trim surrounding vegetation to allow good air circulation)to keep your tulip leaves/flowers dry.  Moisture on the plant surfaces from dew, rainfall, and irrigations is a great breeding ground for gray mold and at least a few thousand other fungal microorganisms!

There are fungicides that can be used as a bulb dip such as Mertect. Be sure to read all of the information on the label. Suggest contacting you local county Extension office for additional information/suggestions.

Regards
Steve