‘Sudden Oak Death’ threatens rhododendrons, other plants
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
Rhododendrons are a popular plant in yards across Pennsylvania.
The shrub’s clustered, showy, colorful blooms and leathery green leaves provide color and foliage to a yard, and they grow back year after year. However, this year there’s a problem.
Pennsylvania was among 28 states this spring where retailers received rhododendrons that may have been exposed to a plant pathogen called phytophthora ramorum. More commonly known as “Sudden Oak Death,” the pathogen causes infectious disease in popular Pennsylvania plants and shrubs including rhododendrons, mountain laurel, lilacs, viburnum and pieris, according to Shannon Powers of the state Department of Agriculture.
Anyone who recently purchased a rhododendron should monitor the plant for signs of disease, including leaf spots and shoot dieback. Other rhododendron problems may mimic the disease, but a lab test is necessary to confirm it.
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