Pachysandra fungus - Ask Extension
Hi, I have a large area of Pachysandra planted approximately 4 years ago. Yesterday I noticed brown and yellow areas on my plants. I was told it was f...
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Pachysandra fungus #571125
Asked June 17, 2019, 12:38 PM EDT
Hi, I have a large area of Pachysandra planted approximately 4 years ago. Yesterday I noticed brown and yellow areas on my plants. I was told it was fungus by a neighbor but I am not sure.
Can you help me with this problem? Is this a common problem during the summer or is it a disease or is it too much rain? I have never seen this before.
I would greatly appreciate if you can help me with this problem.
Minna.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
It looks like your pachysandra has symptoms of Volutella blight. This is a common fungal disease on
pachysandra that attacks both the leaves and stems. It is more often on plants
growing in sunny locations. It is most
severe in overgrown plantings and is also often associated with scale (insect)
infestations.
You can try to manage this disease using cultural practices that minimize leaf wetness and increase air circulation around the plants. Remove symptomatic leaves/stems. If there are large areas showing symptoms, you can put a mower on its highest setting and mow over the pachysandra with a bag attached to catch debris or rake up the symptomatic debris. Avoid overhead irrigation and thin new growth to increase air circulation, which will promote faster leaf drying. Anything that keeps the leaves more dry than wet is what you are after. The longer leaves stay wet, the more likely that diseases can get out of hand. Fungicides suppress the disease but do not cure it.
Refer to our webpage for more information.
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/volutella-dieback-pachysandra-groundcover
If the disease continues to persist and becomes too difficult to manage, you might consider planting some alternatives to pachysandra. Several options are included in this article.
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2019/05/06/my-pachysandra-is-dying-what-can-i-plant-in-its-place/
Christa
You can try to manage this disease using cultural practices that minimize leaf wetness and increase air circulation around the plants. Remove symptomatic leaves/stems. If there are large areas showing symptoms, you can put a mower on its highest setting and mow over the pachysandra with a bag attached to catch debris or rake up the symptomatic debris. Avoid overhead irrigation and thin new growth to increase air circulation, which will promote faster leaf drying. Anything that keeps the leaves more dry than wet is what you are after. The longer leaves stay wet, the more likely that diseases can get out of hand. Fungicides suppress the disease but do not cure it.
Refer to our webpage for more information.
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/volutella-dieback-pachysandra-groundcover
If the disease continues to persist and becomes too difficult to manage, you might consider planting some alternatives to pachysandra. Several options are included in this article.
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2019/05/06/my-pachysandra-is-dying-what-can-i-plant-in-its-place/
Christa