Myrtle rust continues

I was given this young pōhutukawa as a present and now it’s got yellow stuff on the leaves. Is this myrtle rust, and if so, what can I do about it?

S Norman, Orewa

Yes, these are the early signs of the fungal disease myrtle rust. Originally from South america, in the last 40 years it has spread through many countries, including South africa, China, indonesia, Hawaii, new Caledonia and australia. discovered here in the northern north island in 2017 it has spread to parts of the South Island and Chatham Islands. The disease affects plants in the Myrtaceae family which includes some native as well as many exotic plants. at present there are no fungicides available for its control. Ideally, report your find by uploading photos to the inaturalist website, which helps provide an up-to-date picture of how the infection is spreading around the country.

The myrtlerust.org.nz website gives advice on what you can do if you find the disease in your garden. There is no requirement to do anything, but it’s suggested that removing infected plant material can help reduce the risk of infection spreading. There’s also a video, How To remove infected Myrtle Plants, showing how to deal with infected plants, and a link to a file you can download with easy-to-follow instructions on how to do it, how to treat the infected plant material before disposing of it in your rubbish bin or burying in the garden, and how to clean your pruning tools and equipment when you’ve completed the job. I think the easiest way to deal with your plant it is to put the whole thing, pot and all, in a large plastic bag, tie the top and put it in your rubbish bin to go to landfill – but check the website first for the best way to go about doing it.