Kingsville boxwood leaf speckle

[Ryan H]

Hi all,

Recently got this on an online purchase. Tree seems healthy but arrived with tiny speckles on the leaves.. is this due to fungus?? Not familiar with this issue new growth starts without it but as leaves darken speckles become visible. Thoughts? Thx

 

[johng]

looks like it could be white fly...are there black spots on the underside of the leaf? If so, it is probably whitefly and not a big deal. I think there are other names for it but I've never had it on boxwoods....have had it on azaleas a couple times...not a big deal to get rid of but it takes a couple applications of whatever insecticide you use over the course of a growing season.

 

[Lazylightningny]

Could it be boxwood blight?

 

[cbroad]

It looks like it could be spider mite or eriophyid mite damage. They're both easy to take care, use a horticultural oil, insecticidal soap, or dormant oil spray. Depending on the temperature outside, the hort. oil may not work but a dormant oil should still kill any eggs this time of year. Whatever product you use, make sure you drench the entire plant especially the undersides of the leaves because this is where they hide. If you're keeping this inside, the eggs may have hatched and this is the new generation. Kill them before they mature and lay new eggs!!! You might have to do a few applications a week or so apart.

I'm also not ruling out a disease. The spots usually indicate a bug problem but on the third picture I noticed some bare twig tips, this could indicate Phytophthora, Volutella, or Cylindrocladium (Boxwood blight). The dead tips could also just be desiccation...

Good luck!

 

[Ryan H]

looks like it could be white fly...are there black spots on the underside of the leaf? If so, it is probably whitefly and not a big deal. I think there are other names for it but I've never had it on boxwoods....have had it on azaleas a couple times...not a big deal to get rid of but it takes a couple applications of whatever insecticide you use over the course of a growing season.

No spots under leaf but though the same.

 

[Ryan H]

It looks like it could be spider mite or eriophyid mite damage. They're both easy to take care, use a horticultural oil, insecticidal soap, or dormant oil spray. Depending on the temperature outside, the hort. oil may not work but a dormant oil should still kill any eggs this time of year. Whatever product you use, make sure you drench the entire plant especially the undersides of the leaves because this is where they hide. If you're keeping this inside, the eggs may have hatched and this is the new generation. Kill them before they mature and lay new eggs!!! You might have to do a few applications a week or so apart.

I'm also not ruling out a disease. The spots usually indicate a bug problem but on the third picture I noticed some bare twig tips, this could indicate Phytophthora, Volutella, or Cylindrocladium (Boxwood blight). The dead tips could also just be desiccation...

Good luck!

Thank you! So spray with a hort oil then maybe use like 3 in 1 to drench the soil???

 

[cbroad]

Yeah, that's exactly what I've been doing to my indoor stuff for the last week. I got a case of mealy bugs and spider mites and used some 3 in 1 this morning. I've sprayed them with more oil than I probably should have... But be careful with the 3 in 1, if you use it on flowering plants the chemical can transfer to pollen and kill the bees and butterflies.

 

[JudyB]

Could also be from hard watering and overhead sprinkling? Can you rub them off?

 

[cbroad]

Yeah, kind of hard to tell from the pictures but the stippling reminded me of mite damage.