End of Growing Season and Disease Identification
As temperatures fall and daylight decreases, most deciduous plants like honeysuckle begin to lose their leaves and go dormant for the winter. The same is true for pathogens that cause plant diseases, including honeysuckle leaf blight. Once conditions become unfavorable for disease development (decreased temperature and humidity), the pathogen also goes dormant and overwinters in an inactive state. Therefore, once fall sets in, we don’t expect to see characteristic honeysuckle leaf blight symptoms till the next year in late spring (mid-May). Trying to identify lingering honeysuckle leaf diseases in the fall can be challenging because natural leaf senescence can mimic the symptoms of some plant diseases, and secondary leaf spot diseases that are not honeysuckle leaf blight can pop up, taking advantage of the leaf’s weakened state. Some honeysuckle plants, like Japanese honeysuckle, may retain leaves over the winter, but any spots that might look like disease are most likely not honeysuckle leaf blight.
Thank you all for your contributions to this project, and we look forward to scouting for honeysuckle leaf blight next season!
University of Kentucky Forest Health Extension Team
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