Peony Leaf Curl

Several growers of peonies over the last few years have reported a condition on their peony plants. The leaves will develop a “curl” along the edges with a reddish tint. Some plants will have a stem or two infected while others will have most of the plant covered. The plant may be set back slightly but no long term damage is observed. This symptom is also not consistent from year to year. The leaf curl will move around from plant to plant. This is usually not an indication of a virus.

Nate Bremer of Solaris Farms shared an article that describes the condition. It appears to be a mite that is causing this damage. The Eriophyid Mite (Aceria dina) are microscopic mites that live out their cycle on the plants. 

The plant appearance is cosmetic and as stated may slightly set back the bloom condition. It is advisable to try to eliminate the pest. While the exact treatment is not defined for peonies there are solutions. It is imperative that proper identification and research be done before taking action, as there are specific recommendations for control of pest species. Organic remedies may include:

• horticultural oil
• insecticidal soap
• kaolin clay
• sulfur products

One organic horticultural oil used in Neem Oil which is also useful for eliminating thrip. Chemical intervention may also be used and insecticides containing pyrethrum would be useful but used with caution. Always test out the treatment before spraying whole plantings.

What does the leaf curl look like? The following picture is leaf curl on a black tupelo leaf but the observance on peony plants is identical for this variety of mite.

The information was obtained from a Fine Gardening article (issue 207). The source of information is cited from the following publication published by the United States Department of Agriculture: