I also ensured I pruned the branches closest to the center of the plant to allow light and air into this region. I had to trim the discolored and withered leaves and prune the dead and dying branches. When I spotted boxwood decline, it was already too late. ![]() Treating boxwood decline starts with prevention (ensuring your shrubs are planted in well-draining soil and are watered regularly). If it is a fungal-cased decline, as in the case of Macrophoma, small black dots will appear on the dead leaves, and with the fungus Volutella, you’ll see orange-pink fruiting structures on the branches. I could identify the boxwood decline because my boxwoods were mature plants, and the leaves were turning orange and tan. One time, some of my boxwood shrubs suffered from boxwood decline, which a fungus can cause or if your shrub suffered a lot of stress due to improper pruning, a cold injury, or inadequate drainage. I also placed some burlap or plastic on the windward side about 18 inches from my shrubs. So I sanitized my pruners in a bleach solution and then removed the affected branches. I know better for next year, but I needed to treat the winter burn on my boxwoods this year. If I had caught this early enough and known about winter burn, I would have been able to prepare my boxwoods by not pruning them in late summer and adding extra mulch to keep moisture locked in the roots and soil. It turns out winter burn caused this as the winter sun and wind result in the moisture in the leaves evaporating. The leaves were yellow, brown, and rusty-looking. My winters are very cold, and this kind of climate doesn’t help my boxwood to flourish and stay green. Within time, your boxwood will recover but ensure you water it well and add sunscreen if the summer sun is too hot. It is vital, however, to keep the mulch 6 inches away from the shrub’s base. Since these shrubs are shallow-rooted, even 1 inch of dry soil means the plant isn’t getting enough water.Īlso, add mulch over the root zone to increase water retention. ![]() Then, water the plant until the soil’s moist. To encourage new and healthy growth, remove 4 to 6 inches of the branches near the center of the boxwood and, in total, prune about 10% of the inner branch structure. If there is no healthy wood, you must remove the entire branch. If it is healthy and green, your boxwood will recover in time, but if the stems are streaked with brown or dry, then prune some more until you reach healthy wood. Next, prune away the brown leaves and check the cut. To revive a dry boxwood, remove all the dead leaves to ensure no disease-causing bacteria or fungus can grow and infect your boxwood. After all, their leaves were turning brown, although some were yellow too, and it was summer.īut my boxwoods were not dying in the middle, which is a key indicator, together with brown leaves, that it is drought stress. Let’s look at three common causes and revival steps to save your beloved boxwoods: Cause and Revival #1: Drought Stressĭrought stress was one of the causes I considered for my boxwoods dying. Only then can remedial action be taken to bring your boxwood back to life. Once you’ve identified that your boxwood is dying, the next steps are to identify what is causing the shrub to say goodbye. ![]() Join our Facebook Group About Houseplants and Gardening
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |