The popular boxwood, which has many uses in the garden, quickly gets brown and dry leaves. This does not always have to be a sign of a dangerous fungal disease, in many cases it is just sunburn or frost damage. However, in the event of a fungicidal disease, acting quickly is extremely important.
What to do if the leaves on the boxwood are brown?
Brown leaves on boxwood can be caused by sunburn, lack of water, waterlogging, lack of nutrients, pesticides or pest infestation. To fix this, eliminate the cause, cut off dried areas and support the plant with organic fertilizer such as horn shavings or compost.
Common Causes
If the box turns brown, you should first look for the cause before taking any hasty actions (which can quickly cause even greater damage). Brown leaves can have various reasons, some of which can be remedied quite quickly:
- wrong location: often too sunny, which causes sunburn
- Water shortage: often occurs during the summer in sunny and warm locations, water regularly
- Waterlogging: when the soil is permanently too moist or wet, it is often accompanied by a fungal disease
- Nutrient deficiency: missing or incorrect supply of fertilizer
- Plant protection products: Boxwood reacts very sensitively to chemicals, so it is better to work with herbal products
- Pest infestation: often caused by spider mites or gall midges
For treatment, the causes must be eliminated (e.g. through shading, moving, etc.) and the dried-out areas must be cut out. Horn shavings and other organic fertilizers such as compost support the plants in developing new, he althy shoots.
What to do in the event of an acute fungal infection?
It gets more difficult if there are fungal pathogens such as the dreaded shoot death behind the brown leaves. In these cases, if anything, only quick action can help, even if there is a slight infestation:
- strong pruning deep into the he althy wood
- Collect all clippings and fallen leaves and dispose of them with household waste
- Do not compost or leave lying around
- Fungal spores can cause an infection even years later
- Do not plant boxwood on this site for several years
- or carry out a generous soil replacement
- Always disinfect garden tools carefully before and after use
Tip
You can prevent problems with fungal diseases by planting resistant or resistant species and varieties (e.g. Buxus sempervirens 'Arborescens' and 'Elegantissima' as well as Buxus microphylla 'Schopes' and 'Herrenhausen').
