If you have Myrtle Rust in your garden,
you need to act fast…

What is Myrtle Rust?

This is a fungus that is reasonably new into New Zealand and has govt bio-security very concerned.

Why are bio-security so worried?

The reason is that the main plant it affects in New Zealand are fruits trees - particularly Feijoa and all types of Guava, as well as several native species including Pohutakawa and Manuka. Needless to say the honey industry is also pretty nervous.

The hedge plant Eugenia/Lily Pilly is extremely popular in Auckland’s Eastern suburbs and is also appearing to be highly susceptible.

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What do I need to do?

Here I have outlined the options and why I treat Myrtle Rust the way I do.

Click here to email me and book in some time for me to visit and quote for treatment.

Options
There’s a couple of spraying options:
1. either organic or
2. part non-organic.

The organic option is a little short and vague on evidence of success and personally I’d like some history/proof before going ahead myself.

This leaves us with the non-organic. This is a mix of 4 products: 2 for control of the fungicide and 2 organic products to build up natural defences of the plant.

To treat Eugenia/Lilly Pilly, I add an insecticide to treat Psyllid (this causes the leaf dimples and can be very destructive itself if left unchecked).

(Note: when I treat psyllid by itself, I would still use 3 of the 4 products above anyway, so it just makes sense to treat them all together as it will reduce the labour requirement to you.

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Key notes

  • Early intervention – nurseries have been told to spray at 6-week intervals and they certify all sales. Talking within the industry, once it gets bad it’s a real problem to try to shift but from what I’m seeing getting onto it while light, seems to be an easy fix if using the right chemicals.

  • Keeping the plant strong – plants are no different from us; when they are hungry, thirsty, or generally run down, they become more susceptible to other sicknesses. So providing decent soil/mulch, fertilisers and regular watering will make a big difference to their ability to stave off illness.

  • Trimming hedges – After any trimming, all equipment needs to be sprayed with meth spirits to kill off any Myrtle Rust and avoid chances of cross contamination. If you have contractors coming in to do the trimming please ask them to clean their blades beforehand so they aren’t bringing into your garden.

Background

Myrtle Rust originates from South America, but NZ’s troubles have come from Australia where it has caused havoc, as Myrtle is a large plant family there.

One story from MPI was from Lord Howe Island (between Australia and here).
As the guys flew in they could see Aussie side of the island was hit hard and blackened “looking napalmed” while the NZ side still looked untouched. Whilst monitoring at 6 months intervals they recorded how the problem travelled eastward towards New Zealand.
www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/diseases/myrtle-rust/
www.myrtlerust.org.nz