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Bergenia root has a filmy fungus on it
I enclose a piece of bergenia root which has some sort of fungus. I had this type of fungus on several plants last year and my salvias rotted off. How can I treat the plants to prevent this?
The piece of rhizome which you sent was partly covered with a filmy white layer of fungal mycelia, but it was firm and proved to be sound in the centre when cut in half.
Although fungus was unmistakeably present, this could be benign and merely feeding on decaying plant material surrounding the living parts of the bergenia root.
Even if the bergenia was diseased, it is still possible that a different pathogen caused the damage and the visible fungus was simply there as an opportunist, cleaning up the decayed plant tissue. It is also unlikely that the disease which attacked the bergenia was also the cause of rots in your salvias.
Soil-borne fungal diseases such as phytophthora, fusarium and verticillium are virtually impossible to control, particularly for home gardeners who have no access to effective soil sterilants. All you can do is remove and destroy all the affected plants.
Bergenia, despite being herbaceous, is probably susceptible to honey fungus, too. If yours shows any signs of ill health it would be wise to get rid of it.
