Prevention & Treatment: Presently there are no effective chemicals registered for control of nematodes in existing landscape plants. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating. Fungicides, Insecticides & Miticides to Control Diseases & Pests of Hollies. Central Maryland It is important that you monitor their development carefully and regularly in order to determine the optimum time to spray. Southern Red Mite: Southern red mite (Oligonychus ilicis) is an important pest of hollies, especially I. crenata ‘Convexa’, a Japanese holly. Phytophthora Root Rot: The water mold fungus, Phytophthora cinnamomi, causes root rot on hollies growing in very poorly drained sites or wet areas. They are almost inactive during the heat of midsummer. The symptoms of this disease and black root rot are similar. All recommendations for pesticide use are for South Carolina only and were legal at the time of publication, but the status of registration and use patterns are subject to change by action of state and federal regulatory agencies. Good spray coverage of the lower leaf surfaces is important, as most mites will feed there. Because soft scales Soft Touch Hollies give off a nice dark green color with light green new growth. Planting too deeply and over-mulching may also contribute to disease development. This causes a scalding, followed by invasion of secondary organisms and finally by scorching. Horticulture oil may be sprayed when temperatures are between 45 and 90 degrees and no rainfall is predicted within 24 hours. It is also reported on beautyberry, jasmine, mulberry, and hydrangea. The adult female inserts eggs into young leaves through puncture wounds made by her ovipositor. All recommendations are for South Carolina conditions and may not apply to other areas. REC, Lower Eastern Shore Table 1. Control: Naturally occurring predators of mites include various predatory mites, ladybird beetles, and other insects. Using sucking mouthparts, they feed on the undersides of leaves, where their fine webbing is often seen. Males are soft and white with a ridge down the back. Adult females are about 1/8 inch long, oval and yellowish tan with a brown margin. Cottony taxus scale on yew. Leaves may turn a bronze color and then drop. Soft scales (Figure 6) also secrete a waxy covering, but it is attached to their bodies. Plants with extensive root rot damage will usually decline and die during dry periods. Indian wax scale (Ceroplases ceriferus) is a soft scale that may infest Chinese and Yaupon hollies. Typically, yellowing of the leaves (particularly at the shoot tips), early leaf drop, slowed plant growth, and twig dieback are seen at early stages of the disease. Female tea scale covers are brown and boat-shaped. The Soft Touch Holly shrub is a great all around shrub for your landscape design. The larvae then tunnel through the leaf between the upper and lower surfaces. Treat shrubs with dinotefuran or imidacloprid in the early spring for season-long protection. * Fletcher scale * Apple aphid on crabapples * Honeylocust spider mite. Purple Leaf Scorch: The most common leaf discoloration is a purplish blotch due to the environment rather than a fungus. This fungus primarily affects the root system and reduces plant vigor. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. The eggs hatch in about four days. Follow the product label for rate and application directions. Prevention & Treatment: The fungus has the ability to persist in the soil for many years, even in the absence of susceptible plants. Figure 11. These products contain imidacloprid, which will move up and throughout the shrub and protect the holly from most insect damage for a year. (3) Prune heavily infested plant parts when possible. Articles. It produces long, narrow and unavoidably obvious ovisacs on … They are small and immobile, with no visible legs. Use raised beds in landscape plantings to provide good drainage. Updated: July 31, 2016. The bumps might look waxy, fuzzy or smooth. CONTROL . High soil moisture and low soil temperatures favor development of black root rot. Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha.Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the superfamily Coccoidea.Adult females typically have soft bodies and no limbs, and are concealed underneath domed scales, extruding quantities of wax for protection. Spray late in the day and when no rainfall is expected within 24 hours. There are other subtle differences between the two groups (Table 1). Disease Syptoms Pathogen/Cause Management; Leaf scorch: Circular to irregular, tan spots appear in early spring or summer. This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement of brand names or registered trademarks by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied, nor is any discrimination intended by the exclusion of products or manufacturers not named. REC, Western Maryland Holly Tree Pests. Prevention & Treatment: Hollies grown under stress are much more sensitive to root rot disease than are well-maintained, vigorous plants. The cottony camellia scale is most commonly reported on holly in Kentucky, but it is also found on other hosts, including yew, euonymous, maple, and hydrangea. Japanese hollies (I. cenata) are very intolerant of poorly drained soils and are especially prone to root rot. Mites are not insects, but are more closely related to spiders. Fungicides containing mefenoxam can be applied in the home landscape, but will not cure an infected plant. Soft scale is covered with a protective waxy substance and is somewhat easier to kill than hard/armored scale. Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from HGIC. The creamy colored 'bumps' on the stems of your holly tree are most likely Indian Wax Scale. Avoid using contact insecticides unless the plant is very valuable and in serious danger from scale. Check for mites by looking at the undersurface of leaves in early spring or by shaking a branch over white paper. The most common in our area is Indian Wax scale that infests plants such as holly, barberry, cherry laurel, boxwood and many others (Figure 2). After approximately a month, the nymphs become winged adults, which also feed upon turfgrass sap. Cottony camellia scale is a soft scale that feeds on camellia, holly, yew, euonymus, sweetbox, and maple. The Florida wax scale, Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, is one of the most commonly encountered soft scales throughout the southern United States, where it is a serious pest of citrus and several ornamental plants, like holly. The Florida wax scale, Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, is one of the most commonly encountered soft scales throughout the southern United States, where it is a serious pest of citrus and several ornamental plants, like holly. The presence of many punctures can result in deformed leaves. As with all pesticides, read and follow all label instructions and precautions. Control: Light infestations of scale can be scraped off by hand or infested branches pruned out. They lay white cottony ovisacs (egg masses) on the. White paper both leaf surfaces and branch dieback and sometimes killing the plants sac profuse! 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