Winterberry Holly Leaves Wilting/Dying
sc77 (6b MA)
11 years ago
I have been a longtime reader of this forum, first time posting. I have 6ft Winterberry "Sparkleberry" Holly Bush that I planted back in May of this year along with a matching Southern Gentlemen pollinator. Both plants had been growing very well and looked perfect up until about 2 weeks ago. Suddenly, the leaves on both plants started wilting and dying. I also noticed holes in the leaves. On the entire plant I only saw two bugs.
Any thoughts on what could be causing this would be greatly appreciated. The local nursery suggested I apply Infuse systemic disease control. I am normally organic for everything, but took a chance and applied this last night in hopes of saving the plants. I also tested the drainage using the 1ft by 1ft hole, fill/drain, then fill drain again and found that it all drained very fast (about 1/2 hour). The location is generally bright with filtered light and about 1.5 hours of direct sunlight.
Thanks,
Shawn
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goodhors
11 years agosc77 (6b MA)
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Repotting Dying Dwarf Yaupon Holly Help...
Comments (7)The foliage at branch ends is typical of plants growing in severely root-bound conditions, but the plant needs ALL the foliage it has to recover. Removing any foliage now, limits the plant's ability to make food, which limits its ability to make roots and back-bud. I'm thinking that I would saw off the bottom of the root mass just below where that big root disappears back into the soil mass, and MAYBE sever the large root, depending on how much of the rootage would be distal to the cuts. I don't think I'd bare root it, but I'd make several vertical slits in the root mass, tease a little soil out of the roots & pot up a size and let the plant grow free for a year. You're going to have to straighten out the roots - whether you keep it in a container or put it in the ground, but I think I'd do it next spring. Al...See MoreHelp! Why is my Rhodo drooping/dying??
Comments (11)Drooping like that can be caused by two main causes: too little water, and too much water. :-) Seriously, it's true. Too little water: the surface under the mulch around the stem will feel dry. The plant will perk up in the morning, and wilt in the middle of the day. Newly planted rhododendrons will need water (if there's no rain) in this area every few days, depending on drainage and temps, etc. Flip side: too much water will drown the roots. It can also cause phytophthora root rot (especially in hot temps), which kills the ability of the roots to supply water to the rest of the plant. A well-watered plant that droops over the entire plant almost certainly has phytophthora root rot. At that point, there's no cure. You don't need to water if the soil under the mulch isn't dry, and if it isn't wilted in the morning. (They often wilt during the heat of the day if it's at all dry; this isn't a problem if they're firm by morning.) It also could be unrelated to water. Some other fungal diseases start in the stems/leaves, blocking sap from getting to new growth (which droops), and work their way down. In that case, pruning (with sterilization of pruner between each cut using 1:7 bleach solution!) can save things. See link for pictures. There will be a localized brown discolorization of the branch, often looking withered. One it reached the base, it can cause the entire plant to wilt, though I believe more often it affects mostly newer growth. The 10 plants I got from a good general nursery were infected; I've done a lot of pruning. As mentioned, planting too deep can accentuate problems - rhododendron roots want to be near the surface and get oxygen. Lastly, it could be the exact things recommended above. Unlike many plants, in most cases slitting root balls (even pot-bound ones) of rhododendrons isn't a great idea. A test was done with 5 identical plants; some just planted, some slit, others carefully washed loose for an inch or so, etc. The slit ones did by far the worst when evaluated a year later. If I had to guess, sounds like a fungal disease, but I'd check on how it was planted first. Note: this link will eventually go stale; it's to some temp pictures I uploaded for the rhododendron mailing list. Here is a link that might be useful: Images of fungal branch dieback...See MoreArborvitae, Junipers Dying
Comments (7)Thanks, I'll call the local Cornell Extension office. I live on Long Island, NY. Technically, I'm zone 6 (although some maps say zone 7 - NO WAY!), but the problem is we have extremely erratic Spring weather, which has caused zone 6 / 7 plants to die. Basically, our "winters" are not so bad, but then all of a sudden it jumps to 70 degrees for a couple weeks in March and then plummets to below freezing, AFTER many plants have awakened, and that kills zone 6 / 7 plants here, so except for very protected locations I stick with zone 5 plants. This happens almost every year. It is a Whopping 80 degrees today! This is totally INSANE!!! It should not be this hot for another 2 months. This has been the worst weather ever - it is supposed to fall back into the 40's in a few days (thank goodness; I hate the heat). The tree service swears that the Arborvitaes will come back - but they have literally gone from half brown a few weeks ago to almost completely brown now. They have a vested interest in spraying, so why would they tell us that they won't come back? Honestly, even if they will EVENTUALLY come back, they look like crap and unless they miraculously turn green like the scene of poppies in the Wizard of Oz, I don't think it is worthwhile. Oh yeah, I checked the list - it is Garlic Juice, not oil that they spray for Leafminers. They also circled Potassium Salts for spider mites I didnÂt see any spider mites and they attack Alberta Spruce, so I'm pretty sure I don't have an infestation. At this point I think they just want to spray for EVERYTHING and charge for it. I'm going to call Cornell because I desperately need to talk to an actual Horticulturist....See MoreBombshell is not growing but not dying either?
Comments (7)It has been rough here :-( But worse in other parts of the state. There are fields of corn that are looking as if it is mid-oct- BUT- the ears are tiny and the plants much shorter. It is just all dried up. Beans are fairing much better. Lawns around here have been brown until about a week ago. Had I not religiously watered all of my 300+ new perennials- I am sure they would all be dead. Many others around here who have established gardens but didn't water, have basically done a lot of fall cleanup already- as many plants just dried up and died. Even many hostas, which are hard for the most part to get stressed, are a big blur of brown. There have also been a lot of leaves dropped, not necessarily changed color- but just dried up :( We are very grateful the temps have dropped down into the 80's and low 90's. It is amazing to me how my plants have taken off since the temps have went down. Even the "full" sun plants do not appreciate the weeks of 100 plus temps- even though I kept them watered. Its great to see things that were merely surviving, thriving!!!!!...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years agosc77 (6b MA)
11 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years ago
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