Is there hope? - Ask Extension
This bush was planted in 2005. My question is, is there hope that it can live? It looked like it had more dead branches last year, but this year seem...
Knowledgebase
Is there hope? #846873
Asked August 22, 2023, 7:20 PM EDT
This bush was planted in 2005. My question is, is there hope that it can live? It looked like it had more dead branches last year, but this year seems to be a little fuller. I have tried to clear some of the dead limbs out. What type of bush is it? Who could I call to assist with your recommendations?
Thanks,
Wanda
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
This is a variegated cultivar of red osier dogwood. It has a witches broom. This can result from a pest or other causes. There may be some signs of an insect borer on the stems. Compare what you are seeing with the first and second websites. It can also be a consequence of rabbit or other pests chewing on the branches in winter. Do you see any chew marks especially at the base?
Cut all dead branches back to the ground now and get rid of them. In the late winter you can try a “renewal pruning” which involves cutting one third of the branches to the ground. See the third website. In the spring it will quickly bounce back if it isn’t infected with a pest. Don’t do it now because the shrub is storing nutrients in the roots for winter.
1.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/branchesdeadordying.html
2.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/denseclustersoftwigs.html
3. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/winter-good-time-prune-trees-and-shrubs
Cut all dead branches back to the ground now and get rid of them. In the late winter you can try a “renewal pruning” which involves cutting one third of the branches to the ground. See the third website. In the spring it will quickly bounce back if it isn’t infected with a pest. Don’t do it now because the shrub is storing nutrients in the roots for winter.
1.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/branchesdeadordying.html
2.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/denseclustersoftwigs.html
3. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/winter-good-time-prune-trees-and-shrubs
This is a variegated cultivar of red osier dogwood. It has a witches broom. This can result from a pest or other causes. There may be some signs of an insect borer on the stems. Compare what you are seeing with the first and second websites. It can also be a consequence of rabbit or other pests chewing on the branches in winter. Do you see any chew marks especially at the base?
Cut all dead branches back to the ground now and get rid of them. In the late winter you can try a “renewal pruning” which involves cutting one third of the branches to the ground. See the third website. In the spring it will quickly bounce back if it isn’t infected with a pest. Don’t do it now because the shrub is storing nutrients in the roots for winter.
1.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/branchesdeadordying.html
2.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/denseclustersoftwigs.html
3. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/winter-good-time-prune-trees-and-shrubs
Cut all dead branches back to the ground now and get rid of them. In the late winter you can try a “renewal pruning” which involves cutting one third of the branches to the ground. See the third website. In the spring it will quickly bounce back if it isn’t infected with a pest. Don’t do it now because the shrub is storing nutrients in the roots for winter.
1.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/branchesdeadordying.html
2.https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/dogwood/denseclustersoftwigs.html
3. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/winter-good-time-prune-trees-and-shrubs
