Viburnum - seems to be dying...

Posts

• didyw Posts: 3,573

  September 2021

  This happened to mine. Had a diagnosis yesterday - honey fungus.  Dig down at the base of the trunk a little bit and scrape away. If you see what looks like flakes of dried white paint that smells of mushrooms and black threads its the dreaded honey fungus. Fingers crossed that's not the case with yours and that is is simply really really thirsty. But I found out that viburnum is highly susceptible to honey fungus.

  Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.

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• tl.thackrayFnFyHPdq Posts: 3

  September 2021

  didyw said:

  This happened to mine. Had a diagnosis yesterday - honey fungus.  Dig down at the base of the trunk a little bit and scrape away. If you see what looks like flakes of dried white paint that smells of mushrooms and black threads its the dreaded honey fungus. Fingers crossed that's not the case with yours and that is is simply really really thirsty. But I found out that viburnum is highly susceptible to honey fungus.

  Thank you, really helpful, will investigate this week. Presume if it is honey fungus we'd have to remove the tree? 

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• Borderline Posts: 4,700

  September 2021

  Looks like Thrips damage. May look terrible, but not as troublesome as it looks. Usually attacking plants that are already under stress. Make sure your shrubs are getting enough water during the warm months. Apart from the sudden downpours, many large evergreen shrubs often do not get water getting down to their roots due to the large canopy.
  
  You may find that if your shrub is against a wall or planted against hard landscaping, it may need extra help with watering in the summer months. Lay thick layers of bark mulch or composted bark. This helps to hold the moisture in for longer. You can snip out the unsightly damaged leaves. But generally, your shrub should bounce back if you keep it hydrated.

  1
• tl.thackrayFnFyHPdq Posts: 3

  September 2021

  Borderline said:

  Looks like Thrips damage. May look terrible, but not as troublesome as it looks. Usually attacking plants that are already under stress. Make sure your shrubs are getting enough water during the warm months. Apart from the sudden downpours, many large evergreen shrubs often do not get water getting down to their roots due to the large canopy.
  
  You may find that if your shrub is against a wall or planted against hard landscaping, it may need extra help with watering in the summer months. Lay thick layers of bark mulch or composted bark. This helps to hold the moisture in for longer. You can snip out the unsightly damaged leaves. But generally, your shrub should bounce back if you keep it hydrated.

  Great, thank you. Will see if some extra water helps at all! 

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