What Is Wrong With My Flannel Bush?

Are there any reddish-brown streaks on the outer and inner bark, as well as gum or dark sap oozing from the diseased area?

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

Are the leaves and twigs covered with small, armored insects?

Does your flannel bush wilts?

These symptoms indicate fungal disease Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot. Phytophthora pathogens are favored by wet conditions, and the risk of disease can be reduced with good water management. The disease tends to affect plants in poorly drained areas, where susceptible plants are surrounded by standing water or saturated soil for prolonged periods. Provide adequate drainage and know the water needs of individual plants.

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.

Small, armored insects on leaves and twigs are armored scales. These tiny, shelled insects often feed on the undersides of the leaves, causing an unhealthy appearance with yellowish blotches on the upper leaf surfaces. Scrape off minor infestations with your fingernail. Prune out badly infested growth, or use a soft brush and soapy water to gently scrub the scales off the stems. Control scales by spraying insecticidal oil during the growing season.

Overirrigation in combination with poor drainage (slow infiltration and percolation) results in aeration deficit. Because roots require oxygen for growth and the uptake of nutrients and water, insufficient oxygen in the root zone (aeration deficit, sometimes called waterlogging) results in root asphyxiation and is a serious, often life-threatening problem for plants.

Mineral deficiencies can cause tip chlorosis or necrosis or cause foliage to discolor, fade, distort, or become spotted, sometimes in a characteristic pattern that can be recognized to identify the cause. Nutrient deficiencies rarely occur in most woody landscape plants. When they do occur, nitrogen and iron are the most commonly seen deficiencies. Apply only the mineral found to be deficient.