What Is Wrong With My Cypress Vine?

Are there yellow, V-shaped spots on leaf margins?

Are the seedlings dying and the stems are girdled or rotted at soil line?

Are the leaves pale on their upper side and are there any dusty blisters on the undersides?

Are the leaves curled and yellow?

Are the leaves discolored, fine webbing may be present?

Are the leaves bleached between veins and faded, often turn white with brown crispy edges?

Have the leaves been tunneled?

Yellow, V-shaped spots most likely indicate a bacterial disease - Black rot. Infected leaves will die and drop off. Destroy infected plants. Spray copper if the weather is wet and if you had problems with black rot in the past.

If your seedlings are falling over and the stems are girdled or rotted at the soil line, the most likely cause is a damping-off disease. Remove and destroy all infected plants. To prevent damping-off let the soil surface dry between waterings, thin seedlings to avoid overcrowding and do not add nitrogen fertilizers until plants have developed leaves.

Likely cause for these symptoms is a fungal disease - Rust. Provide good air circulation around plants by thining them. Avoid making leaves wet when watering. All infected leaves should be removed. Spray leaves with sulfur early in the season to prevent rust or to treat mild infections.

Distorted, curled leaves are caused by aphids. These tiny insects cluster under leaves and on growing tips where they feed on plant sap. Leaves, stems, and buds get distorted, and later leaves and flowers drop from the plant. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap should be used with severe infestations.

Spider mites are known to cause problems for cypress vines. Hose off plants when symptoms first appear. A strong stream knocks mites off plants and may give control. Introduce predatory mites. For severe infestations, spray plants with insecticidal soap or pyrethrin.

Cypress vines are prone to sunscald. Usually happens when the plants have been recently moved. The bright light and heat from the sun break down the chlorophyll which leads to the death of the leaf. Some afternoon shade would be helpful, but keep the plants as healthy as possible.

Leafminers are known pests on cypress vines. These tiny pale green fly larvae feed between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. Prune off and destroy all infested leaves. Remove debris in fall because it might contain overwintering leafminers. Introducing parasitic wasps is a very effective method of controlling leafminers.

If the stems are with lesions, and the foliage is wilted the cause may be the stem canker. A fungal stem canker attack smoke bush on rare occasions. Stem lesions are first dark brown and later ash-gray. As these spots girdle the stem the part above wilts, collapses, breaks off, and dies. Remove and destroy infected plants or plant parts as soon as you notice them.