Boxwood Not Doing Too Well - Please Help

[Zako51]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Below you will see some pictures of my Boxwood (the one in the back is the one that is having the issues). I re-potted both of them about 2 months ago and since then it has not done too well. Any thoughts on what is going on? I included the other boxwood in front of it to give an indication on what the leaf color should look like.

 

[0soyoung]

Looks like root troubles to me.

Put something under one side of the pot and back off on watering until it perks up. This often happens after repotting when the pot is shallow and a bit 'roomy'. Once the substrate gets populated it won't be so much trouble.

If you don't see some improvement in about a week, drench the roots with a solution of 0.25 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide in a quart of water - this should nix a phytophthora infection.

 

[Eric Group]

Probably just removed too much when repotting... Different kind of root issue. My recommendation is the opposite- keep it in the shade and water frequently until you see vigorous growth beginning, then nurse it back into more full sun...

Though in truth I totally made that up because either recommendation made thus far is a flat guess without any more info...

Repotted 2 months ago- any freeze since then?

how much did you remove when you repotted?

How old was the tree?

Was it vigorous and healthy when you did the work?

What kind of soil did you use?

What kind of soil was it in before this repot?

Have you fertilized since the repot?

Have you checked for spider Mites or other insects?

Answer those and we can really narrow it down.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I used to love boxwoods... now I'm not a fan. I had too many problems with them just like what you are experiencing - weak roots that would result in a tree crashing if you looked at it the wrong way. I know this isn't helping you, but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone when it comes to boxwood trouble.

 

[sorce]

Looks like it's allowing you space for a better tree!

Sorce

 

[Eric Group]

I used to love boxwoods... now I'm not a fan. I had too many problems with them just like what you are experiencing - weak roots that would result in a tree crashing if you looked at it the wrong way. I know this isn't helping you, but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone when it comes to boxwood trouble.

I have a really large one that I thought was dead after a late freeze this Spring- every leave was pretty much grey or yellow/brown... it came back for me just fine now though! Lost a couple twigs but beyond that it is fine!

 

[sorce]

I'm going to start treating boxwoods like a broadleaf Mugo...

Matterfact....
That's the new Name for Box.

Broadleaf Mugo.

It all adds up.
Put together the misconceptions and the facts...

Resource

Repotting too early.
You can and can't whack it clean.
Cut off equal parts top and bottom or not.

Seems what is and isn't possible is completely dependant on following ONE schedule....

Lot of....

You can do A if you don't do B...
But not the same year as C...

Confusion.

Key for me...
From B4me...
"Allow them their spring flush of growth".

Fits into Mirai's fundamentals on energy.

We prune Mugo same.

I don't know exactly what Larry meant by...
"If your pot isn't packed with roots, you're repotting too early".

But a later repotting makes sense to me...cuz the one I found in Summer, near bone dry out of a pot in 80plusF degrees grew like mad after I whacked it back and threw it in a basket.

Anyway....
Across the states....

We should get our tidbits in order....

Find the ONE way.

We talk about zone envy...
I call this phenomenon...

Zonal Bullshitting!

2fer on the new Lingo.

Sorce

 

[Vin]

This isn't going to sound good but it's the truth. I'm sorry but there's a 99.999% chance it isn't going to make it. Boxwood are finicky but I think a lot of people think they aren't because their experience with them has been mostly as a landscape bush. Everything changes when you put them in a pot.

 

[CasAH]

Are there black stripes on the branches?

If so, it is Boxwood blight. No know cure. Toss it in the trash, do not composite. It is becoming an issue in Chicago. The Chicago Botanic Garden has put a notice on their website that no one can bring any part of a Boxwood on their property. They are doing studies on resistant strains, but have not found one that is 100% safe yet. They have a list of less seceptible varieties.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

My neighbors on both sides of me have boxwood hedges that line their property in the front of their houses. Over the last 20 years I have watched as, like checkers, individual plants die and get replaced, and then the next one will die and get replaced. They have both probably replaced their hedges 2x over in the last 20 years. These are individual plants that are perfectly healthy one year, and next year they die - sitting right next to other trees that remain perfectly healthy.

What do I know about them? They are extremely sensitive about their roots. Be really cautious about removing too much in one session, and to be honest, be gentle if you are simply repotting without trimming roots at all. They like an open mix, and do not like wet roots. They are also extremely sensitive to salt, and seem to prefer acidic soil.

I know there are places in the world where boxwoods grow like weeds, but southern California isn't one of them.

 

[michaelj]

I am brutal with my boxwood roots, and as long as I plant them in soil that they like, they forgive me.

 

[sorce]

soil that they like,

Which is....?

Please.

Sorce

 

[Vin]

My neighbors on both sides of me have boxwood hedges that line their property in the front of their houses. Over the last 20 years I have watched as, like checkers, individual plants die and get replaced, and then the next one will die and get replaced. They have both probably replaced their hedges 2x over in the last 20 years. These are individual plants that are perfectly healthy one year, and next year they die - sitting right next to other trees that remain perfectly healthy.

What do I know about them? They are extremely sensitive about their roots. Be really cautious about removing too much in one session, and to be honest, be gentle if you are simply repotting without trimming roots at all. They like an open mix, and do not like wet roots. They are also extremely sensitive to salt, and seem to prefer acidic soil.

I know there are places in the world where boxwoods grow like weeds, but southern California isn't one of them.

That is interesting. Boxwoods thrive around here. I have some I planted 17 years ago around the house and they have never skipped a beat. I also have some in pots that came from where I work that were planted in 1985 and they are growing extremely well. They higher humidity must help.