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Buxus Problem

Martin GardenerMartin Gardener Posts: 70
in Problem solving
Hi. Would anyone have suggestions of how to bring my buxus back to full health?

I bought four of them a year ago and they were all doing well. They all looked like this



One of them was in more shade as they were facing a bush. Over winter that one didn't do so well. And now it looks like this



Things I've done so far:

1. Moved to away from the shade

2. Gave Vitax buxus feed https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitax-Buxus-Feed-5kg-Tub/dp/B07YNQJKVP

3. Gave it one spray with TOPBUXUS HEALTH-MIX https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01EWMLAOG/

4. Keep it watered every few days

5. Feed it once a week with this liquid feed https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westland-Horticulture-20100418-Protect-Concentrates/dp/B087C6CVZ2

I've not seen any real improvement. Any suggestions? 

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited June 2023
    @Martin Gardener There are some devastating problems with box. Box Blight and Box Caterpillar are both killing plants for which there is no cure.  You need to investigate the possibility that your plants could be suffering from one of these issues.
    Type in Box at the top for more information.
    They can defoliate if they are starved of light on one side and I do hope this is the problem. However it does look like the top is affected too? If the problem is a light issue it wiil take time to recover it could be many months.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    Sorry you are having problems. This RHS page is very useful  and might help you to shed some light on or help to help diagnose what your problem may be.
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/problems/box-problems

    We gave up on ours being in the South of England and having the very beautiful but problematic Box Moth decimate ours.
    I think that you can rule that one out. The effect tends to look stripped and the caterpillars are small but obvious.

    Look at a blight or the other bacterial/fungal ones. The RHS link gives some good clues to look out for.
     Ours were in a degree of shade but were fine,  (apart from the caterpillar damage) I have also seen others in gardens where they were in partial shade and looked okay.

    Hope that might help you consider and eliminate some  things.
    Do the containers have good drainage, box have relatively fine roots so if they got waterlogged during the winter / colder months that might have caused a problem.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Whether it's blight or problems with the moth/caterpillar, they're very stressed, so don't keep feeding them. Just water. 
    I'd agree it's less likely to be the moth, but certainly check the drainage, as @Rubytoo says. If they're on a solid surface, they need lifted off that with pot feet, or just bits of timber or similar. 
    They can also get burnt very easily, so being in a slightly shadier spot will help if it's that, and wind can do the same, but if they're completely shaded out, that isn't ideal either as @GardenerSuze says. They need adequate light, but full sun can be quite damaging.
    We don't have blight or the moth here where I am, and we don't have the amount of sun other areas have, but it can still cause them to brown, and the recent heat has certainly affected hedges far more than we would expect. They recover easily over a few months if it's just that though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Some parts of your box are obviously dead; just tidy this up.  Half just looks lack-lustre, hopefully is will improve.

    You can overwater and overfeed.

    I believe there is no acceptable cure for the fungus, box blight.

    Boxtree moth caterpillars are difficult but can be tackled wit a range of activiies:  rigorous hand picking, spraying and pheromone traps.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited June 2023
    @Martin Gardener Just to add when watering make sure that it runs out of the bottom of the pot so you know each plant has had a good soak. You can over feed promoting lush growth that is more attractive to caterpillars/wind scorch.

    I haven't seen blight here but I have had a few caterpillars on one in a pot this year. So wasn't able to make a comparison.
    I also have three in a long border one has had a few caterpillar the other two are fine only feet away. I first noticed them in early spring when they were tiny but I am checking continuously. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Indeed @GardenerSuze - it's almost impossible for box to have too much water if it's in the correct growing medium and with good drainage. It wouldn't grow readily up here if that was the case, whether potted or in the ground  :)
    The difficulty with seeing it running through the bottom easily, is that it can occur if the pot's completely dried out, and it's not wetting the soil/compost, but running through the gaps. It can be awkward to rehydrate larger pots if that happens. 
    Just check that moisture by poking a finger in @Martin Gardener - and seeing if the soil is moist a bit further down. You can also tell by lifting the pots and seeing how heavy they are. If they feel very light, it's more likely that they're dried out, and you'd then need a saucer underneath to catch the water, and then let the plants soak that back up  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited June 2023
    GardenerSuze said:
    when watering make sure that it runs out of the bottom of the pot so you know each plant has had a good soak. 


    I am not disagreeing witth Suze, but running out of the bottom of the pot is no guarantee of a good soak.  Many modern composts, especially those based on coir, will not rewet easlily once dried out.  The compost will shrink and water will by-pass the plant roots.  Rewet the compost by standing the pot in water until it is thoroughly rewetted - but not much longer.

    BTW you can usually see cocoons and leaves stck together if the pest is boxtree caterpillar.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Martin GardenerMartin Gardener Posts: 70
    Thanks for the replies. The paragraph below from the RHS site seems to desribe my poorly performing box plant?

    When the leaves take on distinctive yellow tips or an orange or bronze colouration, it suggests the plants are under environmental stress. 

    I'm not sure what to do now. My current plan is to soak the plant once a week, until water runs out bottom and feed once a week (4 days after soaking). My pots are off the ground, I've rubber discs under each corner. 
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