Privet hedge dying

pledgeX

Around 8 months ago I bought some green privet (Ligustrum Ovalifolium). These were ~50cm tall. They grew really well for he first ~6 months and looked nice and healthy, but over the last couple of months they've started to to turn yellow and lose their leaves.

I planted 25 of them to begin with. Three of them have lost their leaves completely, three more have lost around 50% of their leaves, and the rest all have varying numbers of yellow leaves an appear to be getting worse.

Any ideas what's wrong? Anything I can do to rectify it? going on? It's quite clayey soil so I'm worried that it might be due to the very damp soil.

Here's a few pics:




This one shows a healthy(ish) bush on the left and a completely dead one on the right.

I_have_spoken

With the evidence of the leaves being eaten and dead plants beside healthy ones, I'd be thinking a virus or mite. Any honey fungus in the garden?

pledgeX

I_have_spoken wrote: »

With the evidence of the leaves being eaten and dead plants beside healthy ones, I'd be thinking a virus or mite. Any honey fungus in the garden?

I've just had a hunt around the garden and can't see anything that looks like honey fungus (or any other fungus). Is there any kind of generic virus/mite killer I can spray on it to try and save it, or is that only possible if you know the exact type of virus/mite?

sobie

Might be nothing to worry about, the leafless plants look as though they have plenty of healthy buds.

I don't think you've got a mite/ virus/ disease issue. the odd eaten leaf could have been a caterpillar or a leaf cutter bee. Unlikely but could be vine weevil too if the plants where purchased in pots.
(have a root about in the soil in spring and see if you can find any fat grubs). plants will naturally shed damaged leaves.

You purchased them in April? I take it they were potted not bare-root?

Might be root rot, although the healthy looking buds make me think not. Simplest way to check is to gently rock them and see if they lift up. if they do, dig them up, cut away any rotten roots, then re-plant with plenty of grit in the planting hole, and use a fertiliser as wet soils will be lacking in magnesium (magnesium stops leaves turning yellow).