The popular boxwood, which can be used in a variety of ways in the garden, quickly develops brown and dry leaves. This does not always have to be a sign of a dangerous fungal disease, in many cases it is just sunburn or frost damage. In the event of a fungicidal disease, however, rapid action is immensely important.

If the boxwood turns brown, this can have various causes

Common Causes

If the box goes brown, you should first look for the cause before taking any hasty actions (which can quickly cause even greater damage). Brown leaves can have various reasons, some of which can be remedied quite quickly:

  • wrong location: often too sunny, causing sunburn
  • Lack of water: often occurs during the summer in too sunny and warm locations, water regularly
  • Waterlogging: if the soil is permanently too damp or wet, it is often accompanied by a fungal disease
  • Nutrient deficiency: missing or wrong supply of fertilizer
  • Pesticides: Buchs is very sensitive to chemicals, so it is better to work with plant-based products
  • Pest infestation: often by spider mites or gall midges

For treatment, the causes are to be eliminated (e.g. by shading, moving, etc.) and the dried-up areas are to be cut out. Horn shavings (€32.93) and other organic fertilizers such as compost support the plants in developing new, healthy shoots.

What to do in the event of an acute fungal infestation?

It becomes more difficult when there are fungal pathogens such as the dreaded dieback behind the brown leaves. In these cases, the only thing that helps, if at all, is quick action, even with a slight infestation:

  • vigorous pruning far into the healthy wood
  • Collect all clippings and fallen leaves and dispose of them with household waste
  • never compost or leave it lying around
  • Fungal spores can still cause an infection years later
  • Do not plant boxwood on this site for several years
  • or make a generous floor replacement
  • Always carefully disinfect garden tools before and after use

tips

You can prevent problems with fungal diseases by planting resistant or hardy species and varieties (e.g. Buxus sempervirens 'Arborescens' and 'Elegantissima' and Buxus microphylla 'Schopes' and 'Herrenhausen').

Category:

Vegetable garden