Is this bush dying?

May 23, 2011 1:28 PM

What is wrong with this bush? If it is dying, how can I save it?

Hope this pic is sufficient.
http://www.witchhuntersbarn.com/images/2011-05-18%2018.25.10.jpg

You can't see but it looks today like some of the smaller leaves have fallen off already.

Thank you.

posted by rahnefan to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

Best answer: It looks like it has powdery mildew.

See this: http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/powdery/powdery.htm
posted by Fairchild at 1:33 PM on May 23, 2011

Best bet: Take some FRESH leaves & stems into a local nursery, ask them what they think & what to do. Most greenhouses have only a handful of people on staff who really know the chemicals well, so it might be worth calling ahead, finding out who's really knowledgeable, and making sure that they're there before you come in.
posted by Ys at 2:07 PM on May 23, 2011

Best answer: Looks like powdery mildew to me too. Your stateʻs agricultural extension service can help you and recommend a treatment. But it it were me, I would treat it as powdery mildew. Remove and discard all damaged leaves and branches. Do not burn or put in compost heap, put in the garbage. Spray the plant with a fungicide every week. Keep the plant pruned and try to thin out the leaves so air can circulate. Powdery mildew spreads, so keep an eye on nearby plants.
posted by wandering_not_lost at 3:46 PM on May 23, 2011

Response by poster: There's no pruning that off. It's basically the whole bush now, and it's at least 7 feet tall. :(
posted by rahnefan at 6:28 PM on May 23, 2011

Best answer: Some of it puts me in mind of powdery mildew. Some of it looks like a more physical damage to the leaf and makes me think there's a second problem as well. But I was never one of the good diagnosticians at any of the nurseries I worked at. Pruning will be required at some point, because dead areas on the leaf won't self-fix. Until the leaves comes off they will continue to look unsightly. Once you've got the plant a bit healthier, give it a light shear to encourage a flush of new growth.
posted by Ys at 7:05 PM on May 23, 2011

Best answer: Nthing powdery mildew. I live in a hollow (a tiny valley at the base of a mountain.) Consequently it's always wet at my house, and I battle mildews and molds in my garden constantly This is what you need.
posted by workerant at 9:14 AM on May 24, 2011

Response by poster: Powdery mildew + scale. Thanks everybody, my plant guy gave me some stuff.
posted by rahnefan at 10:06 AM on June 6, 2011

Response by poster: Update: *&^%$# thing died anyway, must cut it down.
posted by rahnefan at 8:48 AM on August 2, 2011