Boxwood is a fundamental shrub in landscaping designs. However, this small, green bush is extremely susceptible to diseases like boxwood blight. Boxwood blight is a fungal disease and has become a widespread problem for nurseries and homeowners throughout the Piedmont area. Many residents still don’t know how to identify this fungus and often confuse it for a thirsty, dead, or dying bush. So, here are some facts that Nature’s Select Piedmont wants you to know.
1. Boxwood Blight Is Fairly New in the U.S.Boxwood blight was first discovered in Europe in the early 1990s and didn’t show up in the United States until the early 2000s. In fact, the first confirmed case of blight wasn’t reported until October 2011. Now, the disease is mainly found in states along the East Coast, Ohio, and Oregon. Blight also lives in three different Canadian provinces.
2. Symptoms and SignsBoxwood blight symptoms often begin as dark green spots that quickly turn into dark brown blotches on the leaves. The underside of these leaves show the white sporulation of the fungus. Another obvious and unique sign that you have blight is the slim, black streaks that form on the green stems and the white fuzzy masses that develop after a period of high humidity.
3. Blight Can Spread QuicklyLike any plant disease, blight can spread quickly. However, this fungus is easily spread from shrub to shrub through dirty landscaping tools and water splashes. This means that even your irrigation system could be causing blight to spread, further damaging and infecting other bushes nearby.