Diseased Plant or Pests?

Question: Are you able to tell me what is wrong with this shrub? It gets little sun, planted in the ground on the north side of my home.

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 24, 2024, 5:50 PM EDT
response: Hello, Overall your plant looks healthy, it has new growth and is blooming. Choisya isn't known for having a lot of problems, it is possible some of the spotting is just due to environmental damage after a cold winter. It is also possible that there are mites or another sucking pest on the undersides of the leaves causing some of the spotting. If you flip the leaves over, do you see any pests?   Here is more information about this plant: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/choisya-ternata/  Also, if you are still concerned or think there may be pests on the plant, feel free to bring an affected branch sample or two to the Yamhill County Extension office and we can look at it. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill  Thank you for using Ask Extension!

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 24, 2024, 7:51 PM EDT
response: No pests that I’ve seen. I checked under the leaves yesterday.Sent from my iPhone On Apr 24, 2024, at 2:50 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 25, 2024, 9:55 AM EDT
response: Hello, That is good to know, it may just be wear and tear on those older evergreen leaves. If it seems like it is worsening or the new growth has problems as the leaves expand feel free to bring a sample to the extension office.  Thank you for using Ask Extension!

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 20, 2024, 4:29 PM EDT
response: What is wrong with my dwarf sunflowers? The buds never open & then they die. Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 25, 2024, at 6:55 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 20, 2024, 6:17 PM EDT
response: Hello, I am having a hard time deciphering from the photos - is there one sunflower plant, or more than one? At least one of them looks like it was topped. The flowers you are seeing are from the side shoots, which don't get as large as the main head. It seems that since it is so small and was topped at such an early/small stage, that the plant is limited in its upward growth and is stunted to this small size. Since it is so early in the season and there is plenty of time left for sunflowers it might make more sense to replace them.  Thank you for using Ask Extension!

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 20, 2024, 7:01 PM EDT
response: They are dwarf sunflowers. There are several of them. I did remove some of the spent blooms or some that were just dying. All of the new blooms never open & they just shrivel & die. Here are the photos I uploaded:Sent from my iPhone On May 20, 2024, at 3:17 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 21, 2024, 11:56 AM EDT
response: Hello, It does not look like anything is "wrong" with them per se, I think it just has to do with the fact that these are really small dwarf sunflowers. They may not be the best cultivar for a showy bloom, especially with the main head removed. It is also very early in the season, and sunflowers like more heat than we are currently having. As I mentioned earlier though, I think it may make sense to plant a few new sunflowers - I am not sure you are going to have the bloom that you are looking for in these. The main bloom is gone and these are so tiny, I don't think the remaining side blooms are going to give you what you are looking for. You can certainly hang on to them though and see if they improve with heat, but you could get a few new seeds going to replace them if you want to "hedge your bets".  Thank you for using Ask Extension!

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 21, 2024, 1:19 PM EDT
response: The blooms on them at the store were huge. And the buds on them are also really big. There is something wrong them as the buds never open & they just die.Sent from my iPhone On May 21, 2024, at 8:57 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 21, 2024, 4:33 PM EDT
response: Hello, Unfortunately, I do not physically see a plant health problem from the photos. You could try returning them to the store you purchased them from if you never got a large center bloom.  I just don't think it is going to produce large blooms at this point, usually the center bloom is the largest and the side blooms aren't as large. With the center bloom removed, it may not grow taller and produce more blooms.  Thank you for using Ask Extension!

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 22, 2024, 4:37 PM EDT
response: Hello, I had another thought about your sunflower after I wrote yesterday. Often the nursery growers (who initially grow the plants and ship to the retailers) will apply plant growth regulators (PGR's) to the plants to keep them sort (and help them fit on the shipping carts). Your sunflowers are so small, it is very possible that the PGR's applied are preventing further growth.  There isn't anything additional that can be done in your situation, but I thought I would add that to the possibilities of why your plant isn't growing or developing more.  Thank you for using Ask Extension!

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 22, 2024, 7:35 PM EDT
response: They are Iwasaki Bros so that may very well be the case as they are known for that.Sent from my iPhone On May 22, 2024, at 1:37 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿