A little drying on the tips is normal but if it is dying back to the soil there is definately a problem. It could be too much water. Are your brugs dormant or actively growing? What are the temps?
Shawn

They are actively growing right now. They are potted, and I do let the pots dry out completely between waterings. If I make a clean cut in the branch, you can actually watch over time, the interior of the branch at the cut will start to hollow out and yellow. Slowly travling down the branch and taking all the side branches it encounters along with it. I've ruled out water and fertilization problems because it only affects the plant at the damaged spot or cut spot. Other branches are aggressively growing and thriving, until the dying spot reaches them.

I am sorry this is happening to you but I am unsure what the problem is. I'm sure a few others will chime in soon. Sometimes I've foung that when they start doing that, there is nothing you can do. I usually lose a few cuttings from this but I recently had a small L'Amour that had been fine for several months do this. It is odd that it is happening to a lot of your plants though and not just little cuttings. I think someone here said if they cut off the dead stuff then put whettable sulfur on the cut that helps stop it. But you would be wise to continue rooting cuttings if you can, that way you at least have those if your plants keep doing this.

Ok, its cold here in south Texas.

I am not sure of what causes it. I have stopped it though. I always cut hard to good green and seal the wound. Spray with a systemic pesticide. I have not traced or put under a microscope some of the wood. My personal opinion is it is a mite attack which allows a burrowing insect inside the plant. I would always find small holes in the wood of limbs that had died. I only have a small area of the yard which plants do this.

Go figure.

Jim

Yep, I seal all my cuts with wettable sulfur and it has stopped it if I catch it soon enough and cut it below the damage to healthy wood but I agree with Jim and would use a systemic and probably repot as well.

I just thought about something Jim said. Depending on where you live it might have frost damage. That cold front dipped wayyy down there a while back.

There are a lot of reasons this could be happening from critter attacks to improper care to even enviromental damage. You didn't state the age of the plant or the variety? Wishing you the very best. Ya know one can cut back to the soil and hope that they come back from the roots.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll definitely give the wettable sulfur and systemic a try.

Karma - I bought many of these plants as cuttings on ebay about a year ago. Unfortunately the Arizona sun bleached some of the name tags, so I'm not certain of all the varieties that are affected. As for frost, the plants are all sheltered on my front porch (southern exposure) where they get plenty of sun. There was no visible frost damage to any other part of the plants. Plus the damage has been spreading for several months, well before the cold weather set in.

If anyone has any suggestions on how I can post a photo of one of the affected brugs in here, I would appreciate it.

phoenixryan, do you have a photobucket album?
You have this on the south front porch, maybe to much sun. I'm afraid to ask which ebayer did you purchase from? Maybe that should be a private email, instead of posting that one here?

Yes, it gets southern exposure. There is a large olive tree just south of the porch, so they get very filtered mid-day winter sun, but get plenty of morning and late afternoon sun. In January, I'm not too concerned with too much sun. They are there year round actually, but once the sun moves in summer, they're more shaded in the afternoon. I put a photo on photobucket, attached the link below. I took that photo yesterday, and today, I removed the healthy growth at left, and am rooting it in water with rooting hormone. I've also removed the dying growth at fresh flesh, and have watered with a systemic fertilizer.

Can anyone recommend a source for the wettable sulfer?

Here is a link that might be useful:

Is that the only affected branch? I can't tell from the pic how large the pot is. Could it be rootbound? I have some that look like that just from going semidormant but the die back usually stops at the bottom of the smaller thin branch. Some die back seems to be normal in winter of the newer thin growth. The sulfur should be available at any farm supply store but I got mine at an organic nursery. Its the same stuff you would use to dust bulbs or potatoes to cut up and plant the eyes. Its just a yellow powder that you can put on dry or mix with water. I just dust my cut ends with it. Can you take another pic of the whole plant?

On this plant, yes, its only the one branch. I have other plants affected, though. The affected branch on this plant used to be the main "trunk".

Its not a large pot (8-10"), but the plant is only about a year old. As for winter damage, most of my brugs are actively growing now. Several are in bloom right now as well, given that Phoenix has such mild winters.

Attached a wider angle photo. Note that I've since removed the healthy branch that was closest to the affected area in hopes of rooting it. I've also trimmed away the dead part to fresh healthy flesh.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I also read something that said this may be a fungus and if you cut it down to where the stem is healthy and firm and apply full strength daconil with a q tip it can help stop it. Never tried it though, but if I see daconl in the Garden centers this spring I am going to pick up a bottle to try.
Shawn

I too am having this problem occaisionally. I have lost a few nice cuttings that I received from this forum, (darn!) Lately- I spotted this dreaded dieback on a strong cutting, & cut an inch below it- then swabbed it with Listerine antiseptic mouthwash- it sealed & dried the wound- & appears to have stopped the die back. It has worked on another cutting, saving it. Don't know what causes it, either!
Good Luck!
kasha77

Mmmm...Sulfur vs. Listerine

I can still remember the scent of the sulphur at the boiling pots at Yellowstone Park--yuck!!!

But if we use Listerine, will we have the freshest brugs in town???? lol

~MJ

I get that with a few branches if I don't cut them back before allowing them to go dormant but it doesn't spread. It will begin to yellow and hollow out as it dies back but it's usually a small side branch or a tip. It eventually dries out and I just snap it off. I've never had it kill an established plant but have had unrooted or newly rooted cuttings rot from a similar looking problem.

The bad part of that branch looks like it has probably walled itself off and the rest of the plant should be okay. It has some healthy looking growth on there.

The southern exposure is probably okay in Phx this time of year but come later spring/summer I would put it in afternoon shade or dappled shade.
We had ours under a huge cottonwood tree when we lived in Phx where they got dappled shade and they did good that way.

You might also consider putting them in the ground and mulching around the root area once you find a spot that your brugs like in the yard in the spring. It is easier to keep them watered and the roots cooler if you put them in the ground and mulch them. Just keep your mulch a little ways off of the trunk to prevent any rot around the trunk. You can run a soaker hose under the mulch and water at night or early morning to prevent evaporation since it is so dry there. At least you do not have to worry too much about fungal diseases or slugs there as some places :)
~Lenette

Also I forgot to tell you. Rooting hormone powder that has a fungicide in it like Rootone can be used to dip or brush onto cuttings or cut branches to help stop the die back. I have experiemented with a spray on product called Pruning Seal and it seemed to help a little as well. It looks and smells like tar and it sold at Home depot and Lowes etc. in a can by the pruning products, fertilizers etc.

Sometimes they will die back to a leaf node which I think is probably normal but sometimes they keep going...that is when I think it is a fungal or bacterial problem. Make sure pruners are always sterilized before you cut.

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful suggestions! At least now I've got some options and different ideas to try and save them.