Disease on shrubs?

11 years ago

I am totally uneducated in the ways of landscaping, but I'm learning as I go. Any advice on how to save my shrubs would be very appreciated!

We moved into a house with a landscaped front yard about a year ago. However, very few of the plants were healthy, and I've had to remove quite a few dead shrubs. I'm thinking that the pictures below may indicate the cause, but I can't figure out what it is, specifically. Does anyone recognize the white, puffy stuff in the pictures? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Russell

Featured Answer

akamainegrower

11 years ago

It's not totally clear in the top two photos, but the growths on the shrub branches are most likely lichens. These do no real harm to the host plant but may indicate lack of air circulation and overly wet conditions. In most cases, however, there is no need to do anything about them and they certainly would not cause the death of any plant. The bottom photo shows what is most likely juniper tip blight. This is one of at least three different fungal diseases which start at banch tips and work their way back toward the main branches. Pruning back to healthy wood is the best first step. Your extension service can advise you about sprays and the timing for them. They can also help with the causes for your dead shrubs. Diagnosis via photo is not terribly reliable, so there are other possibilities, including dog urine and mechanical injury to the branches. I would, however, bet on the tip blight.

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Comments (7)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
11 years ago
There are lichens (the flattish grey stuff) on the top shrubs which are harmless as akamainegrower says. But the really fluffy white stuff look more like a woolly aphid or scale. Does it wipe off easily? If so it is pest and not a lichen.
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wisconsitom
11 years ago
Agree^. There is lichens here but some of that whitish patch is something else. ID that and we'll be all set.

+oM
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
i have a few juniper that have brown patches like that ... due to heavy snow load crushing them last winter ... it didnt show until the worst heat of summer ....

and you need to Id the juniper.. to rule to juniper tip blight ...

i cant make heads nor tails over the first pic ... but if i had a branch doing a 90 degree bend.. i would just prune it out... as not structurally sound.. and not be all worried about some lugey hanging from it.. lol ...

be nice to know where you are ...

nice pruning cut ...

ken
Logan L. Johnson
11 years ago
destroy that cypress in the last photo I hate that stuff plant some gardenias maybe
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
The last photo is of a juniper, not a cypress. And it's a bit presumptive to exert your plant likes and dislikes onto someone else who may not share your opinion........just saying :-) And since we have no idea where the OP is located, it's hard to know what alternatives to suggest. Gardenias do not do well across vast stretches of this country.
akamainegrower
11 years ago
Logan L. Johnson: Hopefully you will take gardengal48's comments above to heart. The Gardenweb forums work well - as opposed to so many other such sites - because for the most part posters are courteous, thoughtful and respond to the original post with relevant information. Commands such as "destroy that cypress (sic)" is discourteous and, like the rest of your post, completely irrelevant to the op's concerns.