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Soft touch holly sudden death #732260

Asked October 27, 2020, 2:16 AM EDT

I have seven of these Soft touch holly across the front of my house and they all looked perfect this summer and I just noticed one was completely dead...brown leaves and it happened so quickly I hadn’t even noticed. What could have happened? We had trimmed them back very aggressively in the spring but they had put out all new growth and looked good all summer long. This particular one was right by my water hydrant so I would have noticed it if it were looking poorly. So I know it was something that happened within the last few weeks. There are no apparent insects on it. I have sprayed them with the same insecticide that I spray around the house foundation for ants and spiders. 

Muhlenberg County Kentucky

Expert Response

Hello:
This is Darrell Simpson, Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Muhlenberg County KY. Thank you for your holly question. You mentioned that the plant loss was sudden.  Could you please provide dimensions for the plant? I am trying to ascertain whether or not there was an external factor (ie  male dog) causing problems. Two more likely possibilities could be phytophra root rot or spider mites. I too have soft touch hollies and have noticed spider webs on the plants. Please contact me at<personal data hidden>  or email me directly at <personal data hidden>
Thanks 
Darrell Simpson
Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources 


An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 27, 2020, 3:12 PM EDT

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