One branch of the top tier of my box wedding cake is brown, leaves drying and falling. I notice it first last year, it is slightly worse this year. It's not blight, what is it? And should i bite the bullet and cut the whole branch out?
I'm no expert, but if it were mine, I would cut it out. The rest of the plant looks very healthy and will grow quickly at this time of year. A bit of quality mulch around the base, and the occasional liquid feed will help give it a boost.
There doesn't appear to be any sign of Box caterpillar, so you are very lucky. To avoid Blight, it's best to trim them as few times as possible, and to only do this during dry periods. Trimming them when wet/damp makes Blight more likely. Good luck.
I've found that a foliar feed of seaweed extract helps box recover from browning like that. If pruning is going to spoil the shape, try to shake or remove the brown leaves off by hand. Check to see if the stem is alive by scraping the bark - if the tissue is green it's fine. If not, it'll need to be removed.
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There doesn't appear to be any sign of Box caterpillar, so you are very lucky. To avoid Blight, it's best to trim them as few times as possible, and to only do this during dry periods. Trimming them when wet/damp makes Blight more likely. Good luck.