Fungus on zinnia?

I have a gray fungus on my zinnia what is it and how do I get rid of it

Fungus on zinnia?
Zinnia's are suceptible to Botrytis blight or gray mold. Botrytis blight is a fungus disease which infects a wide array of herbaceous annual and perennial plants. Botrytis infections are favored by cool, rainy spring and summer weather usually around 15C (60F). Gray mold can be particularly damaging when rainy, drizzly weather continues over several days.





During wet or humid weather, examine any brown or spotted plant material that develops, and look for masses of silver-gray spores on the dead or dying tissue. These spores are readily liberated, and may appear as a dust coming off of heavily infected plant material. Botrytis blight attacks flower buds and blooms on Zinnia.





The best way to manage this disease is by inspection and sanitation. While inspecting plants carry a paper bag for sanitation. Remove faded or blighted flowers, blighted leaves, or entire plants infected at the base and place them in the paper bag so that they may be discarded with the trash or burned. It is best not to do any sanitation when plants are wet with dew or rain since this could spread fungal spores during conditions which favor infection. Likewise avoid overhead watering, syringing, or misting plants especially if Botrytis blight has been troublesome in the past. To promote rapid drying of plants, space them to allow good air circulation.





Remember that this fungus can overwinter as tiny, black sclerotia embedded in dead plant tissue. Therefore, practice sanitation every autumn. Remove plant debris from the garden, cut stalks at or below the ground level, and destroy or discard this plant debris.





Fungicide sprays may also help by protecting plants from infections. Apply these when spring weather is continuously cool and wet or if Botrytis blight has been a problem the previous year. Look for fungicides with the active ingredients chlorothalonil (Daconil) , mancozeb or potassium bicarbonate. Potassium bicarbonate is an organic fungicide soild under the name: Kaligreen®.





Updated Information: The third post is right, it could also be powdery mildew. But powdery mildew is a whitish powdery growth on leaves and stems. Leaves die from the base of the plant. Affected plants lose vigor and cease growth. So if whitish powder on leaves %26amp; stem - Powdery Mildew, else gray fugus on flowers - Botrytis. Kaligreen® is a licensed organic fungicide that also is effective on powdery mildew.
Reply:to get rid of it- you can spray daconil. available in garden centers. it's a fungicide.
Reply:In anywhere near the coast in California, most hybrid zinnias are very succeptible to powdery mildew. I gave up growing them because of this and only grow the species which are resistant, they are just too annoying. (I don't know anything about the botrytis)





If it's the powdery mildew....





You can mix a drop of Dawn, 1/2 tbsp of summer oil, and 1/2 (if you're urban and get acid pollution) or 1/4 tsp of baking soda in a quart spray bottle. Shake it up and spray everywhere on the plants. It's relatively harmless to everything else, and breaks down in the environment. It may mar your existing blooms, though.