Question

Phlox   QUESTION: I have 3 plants (unidentified plant, phox, and roses) in a row that look to be diseased or have some type of fungus or both.  I planted  them a couple of summers ago and until now they've been fine.  The plant in the middle which I think is the worst, I believe is called a Phlox paniculata (Eva Cullum).  I planted them with weedblock and put rocks on top of it.  They get morning sun.  I have sprayed them with a garden safe Fungicide which also treats insecticide and miticide.  It is not helping even though I've seen new blooms and leaves but then they eventually get spots on the leaves and then turn brown and die.  I have not seen any insects on the plants.  The Phlox looks like it has green fungus growing on the rootball that I can see sticking up from the dirt.  I have attached a picture that I took this morning.  I can send more pictures if needed.  Hope this helps.  Also, I live near Boston, MA.

ANSWER: Kathy:
From your photo, it looks like the leaves are just firing up.  Are all three plants doing the same thing and look similar?   I was not able to recognize a specific insect nor disease from your photo. Make sure that the soil is moist, not overly wet- this could lead to root issues. Do the spots precede the browning? If so, can you send a closeup photo of a leaf or two with these spots on them? If you can sacrifice one of the phlox, look at the roots. They should be white or cream colored, not dark brown or black.
Look forward to hearing from you.

Steve

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Phlox leaf   QUESTION: Hi again.  I had forgotten to mention that in the beginning the leaves had white mildew on them.  it seems that the leaves started to get spots and then turn brown and fall off starting from the bottom and working it's way up. I have attached a close up picture of the leaf.

Answer
Kathy:
There is a fungus disease called powdery mildew that goes to phlox.  It looks like white fuzzy patches on the leaves and can dry up the leaves.

Check out this information from colleagues of mine.

http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-6111.pdf

Steve