Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
mxk3

Troubleshooting help needed

mxk3 z5b_MI
11 years ago

Any clue what's happening to my caryopteris? As you can see it is dying out in the middle. Was perfectly fine until ~1 month ago. I have had caryopteris in this spot for many years. Only thing different is I recently had sprinklers installed, wondering if perhaps too much water - ?. (I have re-set them so they don't water every day now). Other than that thought, I really have no idea what might have caused this.

{{gwi:250183}}

{{gwi:250185}}

Comments (8)

  • denninmi
    11 years ago

    Well, to me, it certainly has the appearance of a plant with some form of root rot or other fungal/bacterial rot caused by being too wet. Certainly a possibility.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    i have 4 different ones..

    as far as i am concerned.. it was frost/freeze damage ... but they hung on and struggled to bud out .. until that intense heat wave and drought hit ...

    the rest of the plant looks OK.. doesnt it ... ruling out a root problem ... and disease really isnt selective to certain branches..

    i have been contemplating such for weeks.. as i watched it happen.. but i cant really say any other thing could have done it ...

    with your old wood there.. i surmise you dont cut it to the ground.. and neither do it.. but i am pretty sure.. some peeps here do do that ... especially warmer zone peeps ... so i wonder.. had we cut it to the ground.. would we be having this issue now ... probably not.. if i am anywhere close to being right ...

    thats my theory.. and i am sticking with it ...

    ken

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    No, the poor thing was fully leafed out prior to this setting in, it was going gangbusters prior to middle of June.

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    11 years ago

    That's really weird. It almost looks like someone sprayed it with Roundup.

    My bets would be on some sort of fungal problem caused by wet foliage, high humidity, drought, high temps. That's a pretty dense looking plant - lots of stems, lots of leaves. Maybe it just succumbed to not enough air circulation and the other stuff I mentioned.

    This has been the worst year in memory for me as far as disease problems go. I've had problems I've never had before.

    Kevin

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    11 years ago

    You don't have voles, do you? Is it possible the roots have been nibbled at?

    Dee

  • miclino
    11 years ago

    Why are you using sprinklers everyday?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    btw .. standing out the back door today .. to clarify.. i have 3 different ones .. two affected.. 4 different daphne.. 2 affected.. and 3 mock orange ... 2 affected ...

    all in full sun.. exposed.. and twice FROZE ... and they ALL budded out ... and then the heat hit ...

    what more can i say ... you are about 40 miles east of me.. you had to have had the freezes ... but for the concrete jungle you live in ...

    and say hi to sissy for me.. she was a good sis.. to spend the day on a weird trip to adrian ...

    one other thought.. get out the pruners.. and go hunt out the branch .. you might find it cracked off down near the bottom.. maybe one of the drunken irrigation guys stepped on it.. this used to be a plague ... when the kids were smaller. .. a physical injury ...

    ken

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I WAS running the sprinklers everyday, not anymore - took a while to figure out how to set the system :0)

    Never thought about physical injury - entirely possible one of the workers busted the branches; they trampled a few other things (a hazard of having work done this time of year...) Didn't think of the voles, either.

    re: my sister: Are you insinuating *I* was not a good guest? LOL!

Sponsored
Hoppy Design & Build
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars9 Reviews
Northern VA Award-Winning Deck ,Patio, & Landscape Design Build Firm