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Pest of the Month - Botrytis

Winter is a great time to tackle some pruning jobs around the garden but what are those gray moldy areas you find on some plants? You may have a case of Botrytis cinerea, or gray mold.

Damp mild conditions such as those during January 2016 promote the growth of the destructive plant pathogen, botrytis cinerea. It can attack a wide variety of plants, including: begonia, carnation, cyclamen, gerbera, geranium, hydrangea, and roses, just to name a few. Under conditions of high relative humidity the grey brown spores of botrytis cinerea become airborne and breed in the moist conditions. In California the wet winter months from November to March provide ideal conditions for botrytis. It thrives on diseased or fallen plant material and once established can spread to healthier tissue. Read more at:
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r280100511.html. To tackle the problem read Gardening tips: Keeping your garden healthy in winter.