Honeysuckle Diseases

Graceful, drooping clusters of vibrant, sun-colored trumpets cover the glossy green leaves of the honeysuckle vine. To keep it climbing and flowering at its best, follow preventative measures and watch out for signs of infection so you can provide early treatment if needed.

Gray Mold

Botrytis, a fungus that attacks many varieties of shrubs and trees, will appear as brown spots in the middle of leaves and on inner leaves of the plant. When humidity is high, the fungus will create a web of gray mold on infected plant parts. Botrytis must have standing water to flourish, so a heat wave will stop the disease from spreading.

Wood Rot

A type of fungal decay that works on dead material, wood rot manifests itself in different forms. Various shelf-type fungi can grow from a tree that seems alive if the core has begun to rot. For honeysuckle vines, if wood rot appears, the vine is already dead and must be removed.

Powdery Mildew

As the name suggests, powdery mildew looks like a baby powder has been sprinkled over leaves of the infected vine. If left untreated, the mildew will slowly turn colors from gray to tan, and toughen like leather.

Honeysuckle aphid

Hyadaphis tataricae, the honeysuckle aphid, is adept at stealing the liquid in the vine's foliage. While feeding along the mid-line of leaves, the aphids cause a curling of the leaves. This protects the new eggs that are laid and hides the infestation. The result is stems that take on a broom shape with tufted tops from branched sections. The University of Wisconsin Extension gardening experts suggest that removing the brooms before the season's end may help reduce the aphid population in the following year.

Treatment

As with most fungal infections, prevention through good sanitation is vital. Proper distance between plants to promote air circulation, watering at the base and not over leaves and flowers, and consistent dead-heading of old blooms as well as removing dead material around the base of the vine are all important steps to avoiding outbreaks. Use fungicides for gray mold and to treat early stages of powdery mildew, always with strict attention to manufacturer guidelines for safe application around humans and pets. The same applies to insecticide use on aphid outbreaks.

References

• University of Illinois Extension, HortAnswers, Tatarian Honeysuckle
• University of Wisconsin Extension, Honeysuckle Leaffolding Aphid