![]() ![]() Common reasons for death include environmental conditions, biotic stressors, and abiotic stressors. Determine the Reason It Is Dyingīefore you try to revive your struggling shrub, you must take the time to figure out why the boxwood is dying and solve the underlying problem. There are many different reasons why your plant could be dying, and depending upon the cause, you may be able to revive it before it perishes completely. And don't compost any part of a blighted boxwood.įor tree and plant advice, contact the Arboretum's Plant Clinic (63 or arb.org).īeth Botts is a staff writer at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle (dying boxwood-whether it is growing out in a hedgerow or planted alongside the foundation of your house-doesn’t always mean you will need a replacement shrub. The Illinois Department of Agriculture recommends burning or burying the plants. Wash gloves and clothes in hot water right away.ĭo not dispose of a plant with boxwood blight in the yard waste that is picked up at the curb. Gather fallen leaves or twigs and don't let any part of the plant touch other boxwoods. Sanitation is crucial to keep this disease from spreading. “Only an official diagnosis from the University of Illinois can confirm this disease.”Ī boxwood infested with the blight can't be saved, Yiesla said. “Please don't bring samples to the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum,” Yiesla said. To get scientific confirmation of boxwood blight, submit a sample to the University of Illinois Plant Clinic (see web.exten /plant clinic). A number of other pests and diseases also can cause problems for boxwoods, including psyllids (a kind of insect), leaf miners and volutella ( Pseudonectria rouselliana), another fungal disease. “If you think your boxwood may have boxwood blight, it's wise to get it tested to be sure,” Yiesla said. It was found in Illinois for the first time in January, in plants that had been purchased from an out-of-state nursery. ![]() “The focus should be on monitoring new plants to avoid bringing the blight into your garden.”īoxwood blight ( Calonectria pseudonaviculata) was first detected in Virginia in 2011 and has spread to 18 states in the eastern U.S. “The Morton Arboretum is not advocating that you spray boxwoods,” Yiesla said. Once the disease appears, it can't be stopped by spraying a fungicide. Before you plant it, keep it in its pot well away from other boxwoods for a month to make sure it doesn't develop signs of the blight. When you buy a boxwood, examine it carefully for any signs of disease. “If you haven't added new boxwoods to the landscape recently, the risk is low,” she said. ![]() If you encounter boxwood blight, it will likely be on a newly purchased boxwood, Yiesla said, not on established shrubs. The disease can easily spread to other boxwoods nearby. In more severe cases, the stems will become streaked with black and the shrub will lose all its leaves and die. This fungal disease starts with brown leaf spots, according to Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. If you're shopping for a boxwood this spring, be alert to signs of a serious disease that is new to Illinois: boxwood blight. Boxwoods, with their tidy little evergreen leaves, are classic and popular shrubs in Chicago-area gardens, especially in formal gardens and for containers or small spaces. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |