Holly Bush Dying?

[okhomer]

I need some help. Not sure what to do here. Should I cut out the dead branches? When they grow back or will it always be a hole there?

 

[Tetters]

Welcome to the forum @okhomer

What has caused this, do you know? Did you see signs of mould or insects? Was there another plant growing close to the holly where it died off? Could a herbicide have been sprayed there by accident (or mischief) ?
The cause would help us to offer advice.

 

[Chuck]

I need some help. Not sure what to do here. Should I cut out the dead branches? When they grow back or will it always be a hole there?

Have you scratched the bark off of the "dead" branches to make sure it is really dead? Also, look on the underside of the leaves and see if there are any tiny white insects.

 

[Tetters]

I am puzzled that the centre of the shrub is bare, but the tops look healthy - surely the bare bits must be alive to support the tops

 

[Chuck]

I am puzzled that the centre of the shrub is bare, but the tops look healthy - surely the bare bits must be alive to support the tops

I have seen this same thing on holys before and possibly this is the reason. It being a type of soft scale insect, usually whitish in color, that attacks oleanders and holys. Some times it kills the affected area and other times it doesn't. It is treated the same as with other soft scale insects.

 

[Tetters]

So a close up photo would possibly help then - if there is scale there. It is impossible to tell from the pictures we have.

 

[Chuck]

So a close up photo would possibly help then - if there is scale there. It is impossible to tell from the pictures we have.

From what little I know of this particular scale it appears to be different in its habits. It attacks and then goes away. Where it goes I am not sure but I would guess into the soil, only to return. It seems to never attack the entire plant at once, but to return and do more damage. I've only seen it once. A neighbor had an entire row of holy bushes and it severely damaged nearly all of the plants. I don't know the final outcome because I moved away but it seems to be a fairly rare occurrence.

 

[Tetters]

this kind of scale attacked my euonymus. I didn`t notice it straight away, but as soon as I did I chopped the whole thing down to the ground - cleaned it all out to the bonfire, disinfected the soil around it, and left it to regrow. It has now regrown and looks fine.

 

[Chuck]

View attachment 72544 this kind of scale attacked my euonymus. I didn`t notice it straight away, but as soon as I did I chopped the whole thing down to the ground - cleaned it all out to the bonfire, disinfected the soil around it, and left it to regrow. It has now regrown and looks fine.

Yes, that is your basic hard or armoured scale. The type I am referring to are small, about 1/8th inch long, are elongated and have wings but I never saw them fly. They looked sort of like a whitefly but not as triangular shaped. I wish I knew the name of them. When I saw them it was way before today's insecticides and the neighbor used pyrethrum on them and it seemed to have an effect

 

[Tetters]

I asked my computer and found this '' The legs and antennae of most species are lost as the nymphs grow. Nymphs and adult females for most species remain at the same location for the rest of their lives. Adult males are tiny, flying, gnat-like insects that fly to new females for mating. Scales may go through one or more generations each year. ''

I also found this on holly

they called it camellia scale.

 

[Chuck]

I asked my computer and found this '' The legs and antennae of most species are lost as the nymphs grow. Nymphs and adult females for most species remain at the same location for the rest of their lives. Adult males are tiny, flying, gnat-like insects that fly to new females for mating. Scales may go through one or more generations each year. ''

I also found this on holly View attachment 72546 they called it camellia scale.

Its been a few years but that image certainly looks like my memory of them. I suppose they just suck all of the fluids out of the leaf, it turns brown and then falls off.

 

[Tetters]

Nasty little suckers!!

 

[okhomer]

Sorry for the delay getting back to you. I have attached more photos. This has been like this for about a 1.5 years. Now that you mention. At one time there did look like something white like mold on those branches.

 

[Chuck]

Sorry for the delay getting back to you. I have attached more photos. This has been like this for about a 1.5 years. Now that you mention. At one time there did look like something white like mold on those branches.

If it has been like this for 1 1/2 years with no change it is not a disease and what has happened is over with. Scratch the bark of the "dead area" and if it shows no greenish color in the cambium it is dead and you can safely remove it.

 

[Tetters]

Couldn`t help noticing that there is a sign right in front of the third holly. Was there ever a sign stuck in front of the middle one where the damage occurred?