Solving Problems of Black Eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan is a pretty tough plant and doesn't suffer many problems. For time to time snails, slugs, and aphids may eat the leaves of this plant. Rabbits and deer will eat the entire plant.


Solving Blackeyed Susan Problems
SymptomProbable Cause
Leaves Curled, DiscoloredAphids
Leaves Covered With White PowderPowdery Mildew, a fungal disease
Deformed or Dwarfed FlowersPlant Bug
Holes In LeavesSawfly
Spots-Dead or Pale Blotches on LeavesFungal Diseases
Crowns and Roots Rot; Odor PresentCrown Rot, a bacterial disease



Crowns and Roots Rot; Odor Present From Crown Rot

Crown rot, caused by soil-dwelling bacteria and fungi, sometimes affects black-eyed Susans. It is signaled when no new shoots appear in spring. A bacteria, which turns the crown to mush and is often accompanied by an odor, affects a few spots on crown at first, and then spreads to the entire crown. The affected crown may then host fungal colonies on the surface. If there are already some leaves, the lower ones are discolored and the young shoots begin to wilt. The whole plant dies in a few days. When the plant is dug up the roots appear blackened, rotten and covered with white fungal threads.

Remove and discard any infected plants and their surrounding soil in the trash to limit the spread of the disease. Thoroughly cultivate the soil around your plants by loosening the first inch or two it and turning it with a hoe or trowel to encourage the soil to dry out and hinder the spread of the fungus. There is no permanent cure for crown rot. The disease is most likely to occur in the late winter thaw when dead leaves decompose on the ground and harbor bacteria and fungi which spread to healthy tissue. Keep winter mulch away from the crowns to reduce problems. Check plants often to catch the disease early.