Iris – Rust

Q: I have been fighting iris rust for several years. Should all my iris plants be discarded and just start over?

A: If the disease is not too far advanced you can scissor off the affected leaves now and fertilize with water-soluble fertilizer to stimulate the plant to produce more leaves. Spray the new leaves with chlorothalonil (Daconil) fungicide to prevent rust from occurring again. Good sanitation is important so be sure to remove all diseased leaf pieces as you prune.