Burning bush die off - Ask Extension
I live in Stillwater, mn.
My burning bushes mostly died this winter. They are approximately 20 years old. I noticed that all of my neighbors burning ...
Knowledgebase
Burning bush die off #572543
Asked June 20, 2019, 8:05 PM EDT
I live in Stillwater, mn.
My burning bushes mostly died this winter. They are approximately 20 years old. I noticed that all of my neighbors burning bushes look the same. Do you suspect disease? Or hard winter on this type of vegetation?
Washington County Minnesota
Expert Response
This has been a terrible spring for many burning bushes throughout
the state. We have many reports of these plants being severely
injured or killed. I am including many other possibilities for the
dieback but I think that swift temperature swings in late spring
injured these plants. Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) are often
severely girdled just above the snow line by rabbits, mice and
voles. Girdling is the complete removal of a strip of bark around
the base of the plant. Girdling disrupts the movement of fluid
movement so the shrub dies. Examine the plant for animal chewing on
the bark of the trunk. If you find girdling then cut the branches
off below the girdled area.
Burning Bush is very
sensitive to heat and water conditions and may be susceptible to
some insect pests that compound its vulnerability. Several
diseases can also affect burning bush plants, including cankers,
fungal spots and powdery mildew. Verticillium wilt is a disease
that often shows up with sudden die-back of one large branch, or
1/2 of the plant. It must be confirmed with lab tests but it
usually progresses rapidly and often results in the death of the
plant. Random branch dieback can be attributed to many things
such as root rot or drought. Extremely cold weather when the plant
is going into or out of dormancy can cause buds and branches to
die. Cut open a bud. Are the inside of the buds green or brown? If
the buds are green then they are alive. If they have a brown
layer then the buds have cold damage. With your fingernail scrape off
a small area of the bark near the tip of a branch. If the branch
is flexible with a green layer underneath then the branch is
alive. If the stem is brittle and you see a brown layer under the
bark then the branch is dead from that part to the terminal bud.
Prune off the dead wood. The following sites lists insect pests of
burning bush. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2006/jun/070901.htm
If your burning bush is dead then you may want it to replace it
with another type of shrub. Burning bush is becoming invasive in
some natural areas and the state may restrict the sale of this non
native shrub in the future.