Box Blight

Hello

I think I've got it, and I have quite a lot of box, in containers and in hedges.

I've read the RHS advice about cutting back, keeping clean, using fungicide.

Does anyone have any practical experience?

Howard

 

I've changed the diagnosis. I don't think it's box blight. I think it's box caterpillar.

 

I'll try to post some photos later, but yes, I've found the caterpillar. Better caterpillar than blight I think!

I'm spraying with Bug Clear Ultra.

 

I've also been looking into this. Apparently there is now a cure - just saw this article about box blight cures on my twitter feed. Anyway Topbuxus have rave reviews - you can buy all their stuff here TOPBUXUS SHOP - I used this code SP3UWWWD for a 10% discount. I'm quite excited to try the XenTari stuff against caterpillars for my cabbages as well.

 

That looks good but expensive. Of course worth using if your expensive plants are at risk.

Im sticking with my homemade spray in the meantime.

Thanks for posting the link .

 

What's in your homemade spray? Or is it a secret recipe?!

 

Hello

I reckon I've got Box caterpillars/moth as well. I've bought Xentara on line.

 

IMO if you have box caterpillars you should give up, throw all the box out and never plant it again. Nothing works well. You can reduce their numbers with a trap but some will avoid it so you have to be constantly surveying the plant or 9 months of the year-- you will inevitably miss an invasion. Same for spraying, at least with non-professional chemicals.

 

Nooooo...there is an effective preventative and cure! It's called Bacillus thuringiensis. It's a bacterium that targets just caterpillars, so doesn't harm other creatures. Can't specify brand names in UK I'm afraid, but if you read the small print on boxes carefully, that's the active ingredient you're looking for. It does work, although a bad, established infestation might take a couple of treatments.

 

Well, I got the Bacillus Thuringy stuff - it's called Xentari. Comes in a lttle box with 5 little sachets. I mixed one as advised with 3l water, and began spraying. Unfortunately the spray would only work if I kept pumping, so at the end of my session I'd sprayed the affected bit of the hedge, and still have 2l of mixture in the tank. And aching arm muscles!

I'll do some more today - think I'd better spray all the hedge, so plenty of pumping ahead! Maybe I should get a new sprayer.

And as it's a moth, I think I should also spray the other assorted box plants as well.

 

I got a new sprayer (which works fine) and gave all the box plants in the garden a spray of the Xentara stuff, in the hope of zapping the box moth caterpillars. How long should I wait before respraying it? Should I henceforth water only at root level, to avoid washing the spray stuff off the leaves?

 

Hi, It'll also act as a preventative until the next heavy rain. So it's good to have sprayed everything in sight And yes, obviously the less you water the foliage, the longer it will last See what the manufacturers recommend by way of a subsequent treatment for a heavy infestation

 

Horray for box blight.
When we bought our home in December 2019, box bushes were everywhere and my wife loved them.

Then after the box blight I was finally allowed to kill them off one by one because it made them look bad.

Now I have enough room to plant whatever I want. So THANK YOU