[daca55]

Hi, We have a holly bush that is not looking very good. As you can see from the pictures below there is a fuzzy type growth on the very top and on several other branches on the bush that prevent foliage. There are also branches with lots of brown leaves as you can see from the pictures. Is the plant dying or is it just sick? Could you recommend a course of action that would correct these conditions and what products you sell that we could try? The bush is in a very sunny area and gets watered twice a week. The plant is about 6 years old. Appreciate the help and recommendations.
Thanks,
Bob










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[autumnspring]

[QUOTE=daca55;1477463]Hi, We have a holly bush that is not looking very good. As you can see from the pictures below there is a fuzzy type growth on the very top and on several other branches on the bush that prevent foliage. There are also branches with lots of brown leaves as you can see from the pictures. Is the plant dying or is it just sick? Could you recommend a course of action that would correct these conditions and what products you sell that we could try? The bush is in a very sunny area and gets watered twice a week. The plant is about 6 years old. Appreciate the help and recommendations.
Thanks,
Bob


You are likely NOW seeing damage from Erma. We had a lot of wind and a lot of rain-likely damaging the roots.

DO NOT start throwing fertilizer at it. The plant is trying to shut down for,"winter."

You may want to take a sample to the agricultural center-master gardeners.

You may want to have a soil test done. I expect like mine, your PH is between 7 and 8-neutral to alkaline. A holly prefers acid soil. Soil acidifiers take TIME to work-about a year. Espomer is the common brand you will find at Wallmart or Home depo. DO NOT APPLY TOO MUCH.

As to taking a sample. Scrape the browned out branch in the lower right. If, you see the stem is green, it will likely come back so cut off a little sample. If as I expect that branch is dead, Follow it to the main trunk and cut it off.
I expect that entire brown section is one branch

[784caroline]

Check the back sides of the leaves...if they are white you have scale...that will kill a plant but you can spray to get rid of it.

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

Check the back sides of the leaves...if they are white you have scale...that will kill a plant but you can spray to get rid of it.

If, it is scale what you see i white puffs. You will see them on the stems as well as the leaves. The white puffs are actually a protective case, hive, for the insects eggs. They can be killed with insecticide oil spray, a systemic insecticide
absorbed into the plant, or easiest wait till the time they hatch, up north it was in the spring, when they are out f their protective case they are easily killed.

We all often kill plants with too much care, wrong care at the wrong time.

To the original post, as I tried to say previously. Your bush is likely damaged from the hurricane. There are usually seveeral problems at the same time. Fungus, insects seem to sense when a plant is weakened.

I would cut out the dead branches. Simple solution to the problem-surgery. I would take the material you have removed to the cooperative extension so you will know the problem. There is no need to apply insecticide if it is a fungus or a water problem. All plants are closing down for, "winter," you do not want to force new growth now. Any new growth will be damaged when we get a cold day or week or???.

It is getting cooler both insects and fungus are slowing down. What you are asking about is ole,previous damage-THERE IS NO RUSH TO DO ANYTHING. I would lightly apply sulpher around the root zone-not on the stems, Lightly would be about a cup. You can do that now because it takes about a year to work. I would try to put more on the side next to your home. Our homes are all built on a cement slab. Cement for many years after it is poured gives off limestone which makes the soil even more alkaline
then it is.

You can buy dusting sulpher at Sparrs among other places.
PROPERLY APPLIED, it will kill most fungus, many insects and acidify the soil. Easy CHEAP solution. In the spring, end of march to mid april I would apply one of the ORGANIC acidifying fertilizers such as Hollytone. Again, READ the instructions. It takes quite a bit more than most people dust on.

GIVE IT TIME TO RECOVER.

[Topspinmo]

I hate holly's full of sticker's, leaves are pain to pick up, shoots pop up, and wasps like them to build nests in. I've already took out about 6 of them and got about 12 more to go. the root mass is easy to get out of the ground. you can just cut it way back and it will come back. I cut one back and left couple of stocks/trunks and it pop back up bigger and better than before.

[Ozzello]

Location tells me the shrub was transplanted. The grass around the trunk tells me it was done by a novice.

The problems you see are likely resulting from the typical novice transplant. Not enough of the root ball was saved, air pocket UNDER the root, damage to the bark's cambium layer during transplant and by the weedeater during lawn maint. When plants are damaged or poorly planted, they become magnets for the scale, mites and diseases you are likely seeing now.

If you have a headache due to a blood sugar problem, all the asprin in the world won't fix it.

When your lawn guy or the yahoo riding around selling trees off his truck says he will transplant something for 20 bucks and the experienced landscape designer says it will cost you 50...well, you get what you pay for, but only sometimes.

Is unfortunate that even some of the companies proclaiming how great a reputation they have, still send a bunch of uneducated yahoos to your home to do unsupervised work they don't know how to do right, and don't really care to do right even if they knew how. So, just because you pay the money, doesn't mean you get it done right either.

Transplanting is botanical surgery. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, but it takes someone with the knowledge to do it right, and the integrity to do so as well.