My new bottlebrush buckeye has a problem - Ask Extension
This spring, I planted two bottlebrush buckeyes about 10 feet apart. They have thrived until last week I noticed one of them began to have dessicated ...
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My new bottlebrush buckeye has a problem #839454
Asked July 07, 2023, 12:07 PM EDT
This spring, I planted two bottlebrush buckeyes about 10 feet apart. They have thrived until last week I noticed one of them began to have dessicated reddish brown leaf tip and this week I pulled off two totally brown leaves, very dried up almost looked like fire blight. On the underneath side I notived some tiny mite-like bugs and web from perhaps the mites. Photos will show holes in the leaves. The other plant does not appear to have the same problem. Are these some kind of spider mite and if so what can I do to reverse or eliminate the damage?
Greene County Ohio
Expert Response
Hello,
Thank you for your question and pictures.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question as the pictures just do not give me enough information. When it comes to leaf spots and blotches, there are many possibilities, and not all of them are diseases. Sometimes they are environmental or what's called abiotic.
Things to consider:
right plant, right place? How close to your house or other building is it? Just make sure it has room to grow as these are big plants and spread by colonization.
Plant stress? Since you just planted them this spring, and the fact that we have had wild weather extremes, I would expect some less than perfect appearance for awhile. (trees and shrubs can take many as 3 years or even more to fully establish)
Soil and site? You point out that one plant is doing better than the other. That's not unusual, but it does make you wonder what's different? Does one get more sun than the other? Leaf scorch? Is the soil different? Does one get more water than the other?
Pests? The symptoms shown in picture of the whole plant appear to be either leaf scorch or a blotch common to buckeyes called guignardia leaf blotch. Bottlebrush buckeyes are more resistant to this, but not immune. Most of the resources I am sharing in the links below did not recommend treatment, but it always helps to collect and destroy dropped leaves to cut down on fungal spores.
Spider webs or spider mites? If you can look at the "suspects" with a magnifying glass, you should be able to determine whether the web houses friend (spider) or perhaps spider mites (foe) If you suspect pest, just wipe them off with gloved hand since you only see it on one leaf. Keep watching.
These plants are not prone to pest pressure, according to every source I looked at. Good news!
At this point, in their young lives, just give them the time and basic care they require to get established in their new home.
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/947
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/837 from 2017
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/buckeye/leavesspots.html
Best of luck with your beautiful new plants!
Thank you for your question and pictures.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question as the pictures just do not give me enough information. When it comes to leaf spots and blotches, there are many possibilities, and not all of them are diseases. Sometimes they are environmental or what's called abiotic.
Things to consider:
right plant, right place? How close to your house or other building is it? Just make sure it has room to grow as these are big plants and spread by colonization.
Plant stress? Since you just planted them this spring, and the fact that we have had wild weather extremes, I would expect some less than perfect appearance for awhile. (trees and shrubs can take many as 3 years or even more to fully establish)
Soil and site? You point out that one plant is doing better than the other. That's not unusual, but it does make you wonder what's different? Does one get more sun than the other? Leaf scorch? Is the soil different? Does one get more water than the other?
Pests? The symptoms shown in picture of the whole plant appear to be either leaf scorch or a blotch common to buckeyes called guignardia leaf blotch. Bottlebrush buckeyes are more resistant to this, but not immune. Most of the resources I am sharing in the links below did not recommend treatment, but it always helps to collect and destroy dropped leaves to cut down on fungal spores.
Spider webs or spider mites? If you can look at the "suspects" with a magnifying glass, you should be able to determine whether the web houses friend (spider) or perhaps spider mites (foe) If you suspect pest, just wipe them off with gloved hand since you only see it on one leaf. Keep watching.
These plants are not prone to pest pressure, according to every source I looked at. Good news!
At this point, in their young lives, just give them the time and basic care they require to get established in their new home.
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/947
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/837 from 2017
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/buckeye/leavesspots.html
Best of luck with your beautiful new plants!
