Four key factors about the increasing problem of Box Blight in our UK gardens.

I have recently had to remove a couple of box hedges due to infection from box blight. In this blog I will highlight ways to identify the problem, what do do in case of an outbreak, and solutions going forward.

Identification

Box blight is a fungal disease that affects all cultivars of box, some more susceptible than others. It mainly occurs during wet conditions, especially in autumn/winter, but can also thrive during wet summers as well. It attacks the leaves of the plant, causing them to turn brown and fall off. Young stems can also be infected and turn black. When diagnosing the issue, be careful not to confuse it with box caterpillar, where the leaves will also turn brown and suffer from die back, but there will also be a white webbing covering parts of the plants. You will also see some bite marks on some leaves and looking closely into the plant, you may see the green and black caterpillars.

Prevention

It’s impossible to completely prevent an outbreak, but by being hygienic in the garden will help. Cleaning tools after use to avoid any cross contamination, allowing plants to have as much light and airflow to them as possible will reduce possible fungal build up, applying a low in nitrogen feed to help keep the plant healthy, and choosing a more disease resistant cultivar like ‘Faulkner’ may help.

Control

Once an outbreak occurs cut away any dead or diseased areas of the plant, maybe even removing individual plants to avoid the disease from spreading to others. Any infected branches or plants should be removed from the garden to avoid contamination, and do not dispose of them in the compost bin. It may also be possible to cut the plants down to the ground to see if they recover in extreme circumstances that you really want to try and save the plant.

Removal and Alternatives

If there is no saving the plant, then removal is the only option. Once removed, it is recommended not to re plant box in the same place for up to 6 years, as the spores from the disease could still be present in the soil and surrounding areas for a long time afterwards.

There are however alternatives to box that don’t have the same pest and disease vunerability. I have recently replaced 2 low growing box hedges with Euonymus japonicus ‘Jean Hugues’ in Reading, Berkshire. Other alternatives include Podocarpus nivalis, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Cotoneaster conspicuus ‘Decorus’ and Ilex crenata.

For more advice and help with caring for your garden, contact The Green Space: adam@thegreenspace.uk , and for more tips follow our Instagram page @thegreenspace_lawncare and our Facebook page @thegreenspace.lawncare