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Are my box balls beyond salvation?

kateindulwichkateindulwich Posts: 9
in Problem solving
I have a number of box balls dotted around the garden which we failed to notice were suffering bin the extended dry spell and under-watered. They are now quite crispy in large patches, some all over. 

I don’t think it is box tree caterpillar as there are no dusty husks/webbing etc I’ve seen when we’ve suffered from that before. 

I was thinking of cutting them all back by an inch and giving them a nitrogen heavy feed.  What do you think my chances are? Any hints and tips appreciated. 


Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I've seen worse, but only just
    Devon.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    You're fighting a losing battle...I replaced mine with yew and haven't looked back. The caterpillars will come too and can make so much damage so quickly. The latest RHS magazine did mention that some of the native wildlife has started eating the little buggers...but we are probably a long time away from a biological solution to the problem. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • Joy*Joy* Posts: 571
    I don't think that stressed plants should be given feed. However, if you're sure that they aren't diseased, box blight comes to mind, plenty of water might help, certainly for the greener ones. I might even consider losing the worst affected to try to give the others a better chance. I would also clear out the undergrowth which looks like Japanese anemones. They are invasive and will take up water which would be better spent on the box. If the soil is dug over gently,  water will penetrate better. Good luck.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Ever the pessimist, I would recommend everyone that has Box problems (blight, caterpillar in particular) to just give up and replace with something easier.  We replaced all of our Box (due to caterpillar) with other plants.   They look much healthier and happier, and we can dedicate more time to them, rather than spending hours picking off caterpillars and waiting a long time for the Box to recover (which it never did).

    We replaced with a mix of plants (Euonymus, Lonicera nitida, Privet, various other shrubs).
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