Caring for summer asters: Immediately remove wilted plants from the bed
Created: 08/08/2022, 11:30 am
By: Ines Alms
If the summer asters are dying, it may be because of their most common disease, aster wilt.
Then you should remove the plants quickly.
It's raining enough, you water regularly and your summer asters are still wilting?
Then it could be aster wilt, a fungal disease that requires immediate removal of the plants from the bed before the fungus spreads.
Because pesticides don't help here.
Caring for summer asters: Immediately remove wilted plants from the bed
The summer aster (Callistephus chinensis) is susceptible to aster wilt when it rains.
© imagebroker/Imago
In contrast to the perennial autumn asters, the annual summer asters have to be planted or sown every year.
If you do everything right when tending the bed and water the asters regularly, they will flower from July to October.
It is normal for individual inflorescences to wilt.
If you clean them up, you can count on a longer flowering period.
However, if the whole plant droops, has yellowed leaves or brown-purple stems in a short period of time, aster wilt or stem disease has probably struck.
Damp weather in particular can be a trigger for this.
The stubborn fungal disease spreads via water, wind and soil, so act quickly once you spot it.
In this case, you should take these measures:
Remove or dig up the entire plant and dispose of it in the residual waste or in the organic waste bin - the fungus could spread further in the compost.
Change of location: For the next five to seven years, the summer aster should be planted in a different place in the garden, as the spores of the fungus can survive in the soil.
The aster likes to be bright, warm and in nutrient-rich, slightly moist soil.
For the next sowing, choose varieties that are resistant to aster wilt.
These include the varieties "Mona", "Standy" and "Starlight".
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Even without the occurrence of aster wilt, an annual change of location makes sense to prevent the disease.
Likewise, summer asters should not be planted too densely and excessive nitrogen fertilization should be avoided.
The summer aster also thrives on the balcony - here it is important to exchange the soil generously in the event of an aster wilt.
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