Griselinia hedge is dying

T

Tumbleweed

New member
Hi i have a griselinia hedge that is about 3 ft tall.
Was planted when they were about 1ft or a bit more.
The plant seems to be dying. The gent who sold us this came and looked and said it was spray damage. That was 4 months ago.
I thinknitnis some sort of fungus maybe on the roots. Not all plants in the hedge are the same, some worse than others.
Any suggestions what it might be.
Thanks.
Tumbleweed in NZ
 
Hello @Tumbleweed , it's lovely to welcome you to our forum.
I love this plant, although it is more at home in New Zealand, its native land, we are fortunate indeed to have it here as well.
Looking at the plant you have there makes me think that your own instinct is right. Griselinia is prone to root rot. It enjoys a good old watering in dry summers, but too much, especially in soil that doesn't drain well which can be really bad news - something you'll see after a flood!
The bad news is, I think, that the affected plants are not very likely to survive if this is the case. When they grow to this stage it's not so easy to dig them out and replace their soil (not like a small plant in a pot)
If mine, I would now take some cuttings from the plants in the hedge that are not affected (they root quite easily) and if the ground does prove to be wet and not draining well, improve the situation with added grit or washed sharp sand for drainage. Good luck. Do stick around a while and let us know how you get on :)

PS. My eyes are not as sharp as I'd like, so just to check, those are drops of water on the plant aren't they? Scale insects can also affect this plant.
 
Tumbleweed said:
Hi i have a griselinia hedge that is about 3 ft tall.
Was planted when they were about 1ft or a bit more.
The plant seems to be dying. The gent who sold us this came and looked and said it was spray damage. That was 4 months ago.
I thinknitnis some sort of fungus maybe on the roots. Not all plants in the hedge are the same, some worse than others.
Any suggestions what it might be.
Thanks.
Tumbleweed in NZ
Click to expand...
Putin
 
Hi all thanks for this. Yes it is water as i had just watered them.
I had heard that they dont like either wet feet, dry feet or clay.
Ours is very free draining and we had a vineyard here that took so much water.
As an example i am growing 2.5 acres of grass and putting 250,000 litres of water a week on it and although growing very well still dry.
We have grown 3 other hedges no problem. Is there any root fungus that can effect them?
Thabks all.
 
Tumbleweed said:
Hi all thanks for this. Yes it is water as i had just watered them.
I had heard that they dont like either wet feet, dry feet or clay.
Ours is very free draining and we had a vineyard here that took so much water.
As an example i am growing 2.5 acres of grass and putting 250,000 litres of water a week on it and although growing very well still dry.
We have grown 3 other hedges no problem. Is there any root fungus that can effect them?
Thabks all.
Click to expand...
Ough !! I looked on google to see if you have honey fungus in New Zealand and if it affects griselina and it said it was deadly to it !! 😱 It spreads underground.
 
Mm, there is also phytophthora root rot which has similar effects to honey fungus. You can find pictures on the web, and it may be worth your while to dig up one of your affected plants to compare.
I have seen both of these problems kill off shrubs on my own bit of land, causing the failure of a few of them. It amazes me how one or two plants appear to be singled out while others escape damage.

As a point of interest, with the honey fungus, you would find a white mould just underneath the bark. Another name for this is bootlace fungus, - the posh name is amillaria (I think that's the right spelling)
 
Last edited:
Thanks, the local garden shop thought it might be phytophthora.
Trick is what now.
He had me give them some of those blue granules for a bit of nitrogen.
Suspect the news is all bad.
Might pull the worst ones and start again.
Is phytophthora going to be a issue in th soil do you think.
Thanks for your advice.
Tumbleweed. (Bill)
 
I can only answer that last question by comparison to what's happened here, and so far it has not seemed to affect neighbouring plants. If I were you I would whip out the ones that have apparent problems, and replenish the soil best you can. Then I would monitor the neighbouring plants regularly and be ready to act in case - oh, and just as an added precaution, I'd do my best to keep the gaps dry, as there's probably a bigger chance of it spreading in wet conditions.
I usually allow the plants to teach me, and then I learn more and remember better. :LOL: Jackie

PS I have a feeling that your remaining plants should be ok. I wish you luck, and am hoping you might let us know the outcome, and whether or not you have identified the problem better when you have checked those roots. 🍀🍀🍀🍀
 
This is such a versatile plant. It is easy to clip because of its soft growth, and is an excellent choice for a hedge of whichever size you fancy. They will reach over 30feet if left to grow, and can make a superb wind break. There is a variegated variety, but, as with many variegated plants, is not quite as robust.
 

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