Why Is My Lantana Plant Dying?

Healthy, blossoming lantana flower

Lantanas provide a burst of color to the home garden in hues like orange or purple as well as year-round green foliage. These evergreen shrubs typically grow 1 to 6 feet in height, depending on cultivar. Though prized for their quick growth and extended flowering that lasts from spring to winter, lantanas can experience a severe fungal disease that leads to dying plants.

Preventive Care

Fulfill lantana care requirements on a consistent basis as healthy plants have a better chance of avoiding and recovering from problems like disease than unhealthy ones. Grow lantanas in areas that provide full sun exposure because lantanas perform well in warm temperatures and direct sun. Because of their preference for sun, irrigate lantanas with approximately 1 inch of water weekly. Use a direct-to-soil method such as drip irrigation to keep leaves dry as a means of avoiding fungal disease problems that thrive in moisture. Lantanas tolerate any type of soil as long as it is moist and well drained.

Problems

Botrytis blight, also referred to as gray mold, is a common disease of lantana plants. This disease is a fungal infection caused by the pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Attacking other hosts like fuchsia and hydrangeas, botrytis blight appears most often during humid, rainy weather with temperatures near 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Botrytis blight spreads sporadically on wind and in water from infected plant tissue onto uninfected lantana plants.

Damage

Botrytis blight on lantanas results in twig dieback and overall decline. Blight disease causes a gray mold growth over areas of dying plant tissue that occur on every part of the plant including flowers and foliage. Look for this gray-hued mold accompanied by brown spots. Black fungal growths may develop, as well, toward the end of summer. Developing flowers may fail to bloom. Flowers in bloom often decay, discolor and fall to the ground. If you are uncertain whether your plant is infected with botrytis blight, contact a licensed professional or bring a sample to your extension agent for an accurate diagnosis.

Solutions

Control botrytis blight on lantanas by first pruning away and destroying affected plant parts. Gather and destroy plant debris, as well, to prevent further spread of fungi within the home garden. Sterilize pruning shears and other equipment between each cut. Contact your local county extension agent to discuss potential fungicides like the bacteria-based Bacillus subtilis or a chemical fungicide with the active ingredient chlorothalonil as applications provide further control for severe disease.

References

• Clemson University Extension; Lantana; Karen Russ; April 2004
• University of Florida IFAS Extension; Lantana Lace Bug,Teleonemia scrupulosaStål (Insecta: Hemiptera: Tingidae); D. H. Habeck, et al.; November 2001
• Cornell University Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic: Botrytis Blight Factsheet
• University of California IPM Online: Botrytis Blight -- Botrytis Cinerea
• University of California IPM Online: Lantana---Lantana Spp. Family Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)
• University of Florid IFAS Extension; Lace Bugs on Ornamental Plants; Eileen A. Buss, et al.; October 1993