AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been a gardener for 20 years with perennials both growing from seed and from nurseries. I went through the Master Gardener Program from Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service and I answered questions on the Hotline a few years ago for the Wyandotte County Kansas Extension Service. I have also lived in the Florida, California, Hawaii, Arizona, Texas, Kansas and Missouri and am experienced with a variety of climates, soils and weather conditions.
Experience I have been growing perennials for over 20 years now. I am self-taught mostly except for a master gardener class. I have experimented with all kinds of perennials including many that are not common to my area. I have read hundreds of books and grown hundreds of varieties of plants and hope to make it a business some day. I have become versed in botanical names and growing conditions and what I don't know off of the top of my head I can usually easily find in my vast array of research material and botanical and horticultural contacts. I especially enjoy experimenting with growing plants out of zone.
Question When getting my flowers bed ready for winter I noticed a bore had gotten into the stem of my black-eyed susans. I could not find it and I presume it went down the stem into the root. How can I get rid of it?
Answer Hi Clare,
Thanx for your question. It sounds like you have a stalk borer which occasionally infests Blackeyed Susans (Rudbeckia). It's most likely, too late for the plant and it will probably not survive the infestation. The insect is probably somewhere in the root system or surrounding soil. The University of Connecticut recommends methoxychlor dust next season if the plants are still infested and to keep down further infestation. Be sure to remove all dead plant material as you clean up for the winter. Here's a website you may find helpful.
Tom
