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| I fear my vitex has cotton root rot. Actually, I have a vitex with nice purple blooms, a variegated vitex and a mulberry that birds planted on the fence that all seem to have it. The mulberry is totally dead and the variegated one is about 90% gone, and my big regular vitex is maybe 30% infected. They're hidden in the back of the yard, and I'm just now finding this.
Can someone tell me if that's what the problem is, please? I've already started taking it out, and am going to grow new ones from cuttings of healthy branches, and will plant them somewhere else. This pic fits the description I found online for cotton root rot, and just need confirmation before I take the entire tree out. I'll put another pic in another post, I don't know how to post multiple pictures. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Another picture |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 18, 12 at 8:29
| have you actually 'found' it .... or are you simply going on 'close enough' .. on the description??? it looks like every other heat/droughted shrub in my yard ... i fear you are jumping to conclusions ... can you verify it.. by digging up a root that actually shows the malady??? or are you hoping one of us can eyeball a root disease based on pix of leaves ... leaves are extremely cosmetic.. suffering from all kinds of things .. i will leave it to others.. if in fact .. they can eyeball it... ken |
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| It would be best if you leave this to others, Ken. |
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| I agree with Ken. Arktrees |
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| Okay, so I dug around the roots in several places, and amazingly, they looked fine! However, we are not having a drought this year. I've had at least 10" of rain in the last month, maybe more. Last summer/fall it was a different story. This tree is about 15 years old and this is the first time I've ever seen sick leaves on it. I do major pruning on it every year, and the pruning I've done so far isn't as much as I usually do, so I'm not worried about killing it, and I won't as long as it is healthy. |
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| Couple of things come to mind. Powdery Mildew perhaps from the wet humid weather, but I honestly don't know if Vitex has a Powdery Mildew. The other thing is drought damage from last year is being expressed this year when the additional stressor of too much rain too fast appears. Last thing that comes to mind, is perhaps canker, or a Fusarium Wilt infection. Check the stems closely for sunken or discolored areas. Also look for small black structures on the stems. Also, cut through a recently wilted cane and look for discoloration. Post more clear close pictures and post those. At best this is all detective work that you have to look for any clues you can find. Arktrees |
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| Arktrees, thanks. I looked up vitex, and the only thing that really bothers them is cotton root rot. I took a sick twig to a nursery, and they said it was a fungus on the leaves, probably from the rain we've been having. I think, too, that the drought last year may have stressed it. Stems and trunks look normal, and inside looks normal when cut, too. I am going to grow some more from cuttings, and am tempted to take this one out since it doesn't have a good shape, and plant one with a single trunk nearby. Definitely want one in my front yard. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 18, 12 at 16:45
| It would be best if you leave this to others, Ken. ===>>> sooooo.. i was right??? .. it wasnt a root problem??? hmmmmm ken |
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| FTR, Powdery Mildew is a fungus on the leaves, and is brought on by wet humid weather. Especially the humid part. Other foliage disease are caused by wet weather, but not so much humid. Anyway, look up pics of Powdery Mildew as it can spread very fast. You can't CURE it, but you can treat to prevent spread if need be. Arktrees |
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| I looked at powdery mildew, and that's not what the leaves look like. They are a lighter green than usual and have brown blotches on them. I couldn't get a good picture of the leaves. I think the pics are overexposed, too much light, because of my flash with the sun behind me. |
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| Seems to me that Ken not only hit the nail on the head, but nearly drove it completely in with a single hit! If your unnamed source is so unfamiliar with vitex that they think cotton root rot is its only problem, I'd not rely on that source for further info. |
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| Ken, mea culpa. I was in panic mode and wasn't thinking clearly. |
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