Holly bush disease of some sort

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M

mfsinger

Member
A couple of people I know have an issue with their holly bushes and I can't find a decent answer. I should take some photos and post them when I have a moment. The bush has this black "stuff" covering parts of it's branches. I don't see it on the leaves nor is there any sign of damage to them. It has killed off a few parts of the bush. I thought it might be some sort of fungus so we tried a fungicide last year. It seemed to help a little but this year it has spread to another bush. I've read about something called Tar Spots as well as black soot. The problem is that there aren't any pictures for me to compare it to.

I will take a few photos later today and upload them. Hopefully someone will recognize the problem so we can treat it with the appropriate solution. Thanks.
 
Are there any white dots on the stem? You might need to have a close look around the infected stems.
Sounds like Black Sooty mold which starts when scales infest the stem areas and secrete a dew which the mold grows on.
If this is the case you will need to use a systemic insecticide to get rid of the scales. Using a fungicide will only control the mold and not solve the cause which is the scale!
Close up photos would help a lot.
 
I'll go over to her house later today and inspect the bush as closely as possible. I'll also grab some close up photos. Thanks for responding.
 


Alright!
The last 2 photos look like scale damage.
You will need to use a systemic insecticide to kill off the scale. Other pesticide will not work on them because they are sucking insects and remain in the same spot and covered with a waxy covering!
To kill the mold you will need to use a fungicide at least a couple of times this year, or until the mold is gone
The systemic will take at least 2 weeks to kill off the scale!
You will also need to clean out all the dead wood and dispose of it! The dead wood is a good place for mold and fungi to winter over as well as scale.
Hope you have a good pair of leather work gloves!
 
Wahooooo! So, I apply the systemic insecticide and wait for a few weeks before I start treating the mold? I've got leather gloves but, as I discovered two days ago, the back side has two strips that are cloth only. I'm sure you can guess how I realized there was only cloth there!

I think this yard has some issues. There's another plant that has some problems so that'll probably be a new post coming up soon. At least I know what I need to do for now. Thanks!
 
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