Privet Hedging Diseased?

jazzy

I planted a new privet hedge around three years ago. The plants have looked healthy until now. The hedges have started to shed their leaves but some of the plants are covered with brown spots on their leaves. I dont know if this is just because of the autumn season or if the plant is diseased. Any ideas if the plant is diseased?

westiea

hi

I presume you have not been overfeeding or watering. That the hedge roots do not have restricted space. Also that the hedge has not been 'attacked' by the council kerb weed-sprayers (often plants can be hit by weedkiller drift) so it looks like it could be a bacteria or fungus affecting it. This could be brought in by thrips etc, or affected by weather conditions.

If you are able dig gently around the roots and check the soil see if you can see any 'black' roots or white threads (mycellium) this will tell you if it is a nasty fungus attacking it. Have a look at the plant roots are they black/soft and rotting? If there is any sign let us know.

In the mean time I would then remove ALL leaves as they drop so any fungus, if present, is not reinstated back into the soil.
Make sure you spray affected plants with a systemic fungicide.

jackieglasgow

I keep seeing this thread on my feed and reading Privates Hedgehog Disease!

jazzy

westiea wrote: »

hi

I presume you have not been overfeeding or watering. That the hedge roots do not have restricted space. Also that the hedge has not been 'attacked' by the council kerb weed-sprayers (often plants can be hit by weedkiller drift) so it looks like it could be a bacteria or fungus affecting it. This could be brought in by thrips etc, or affected by weather conditions.

If you are able dig gently around the roots and check the soil see if you can see any 'black' roots or white threads (mycellium) this will tell you if it is a nasty fungus attacking it. Have a look at the plant roots are they black/soft and rotting? If there is any sign let us know.

In the mean time I would then remove ALL leaves as they drop so any fungus, if present, is not reinstated back into the soil.
Make sure you spray affected plants with a systemic fungicide.

It looks very much like a type of a fungus problem. I have tried to have a peep at the roots, they look ok but cannot really tell without digging the plants up.
I have ordered some Systhane Fungus Fighter Concentrate, but do I also have to treat the soil around the plants?

gardenroute

It's unlikely to be drift or honey fungus - these both tend to affect tips of the plants first The dark spots on the leaves indicate a fungal or bacterial problem. If its worse or starts inside the hedge then it's a fungus or bacteria flourishing in the high humidity and low air circulation in clipped hedges.
privet is a hardy reliable shrub but it can be prone to wilt, anthracnose, cercospora, pseudocercospora, etc. These problems are made a lot worse by the plant being stressed. This could be caused by the weather, insects (check if the leaves are sticky) or poor soil (if the plant grew well for three years maybe the underlying soil is heavily compacted).
Its difficult to say what the problem is from the photo, but the treatment is the same.
Cut out the diseased sections, apply the fungicide, rake up all fallen leaves and put an organic mulch down. Its important to try and break the cycle of re-infection from the diseased leaves. It shouldn't get much worse over the winter months and it doesn't look terminal.
A feed in the spring may also help the privet overcome this problem