Buxus Sempervirens box blight?

Hi All,

We bought a Buxus Sempervirens plant a little over 2 years ago and put it in a big pot.

Was told by the garden centre it may start to struggle after 2 or so years due to the size of the pot.

Last year we noticed it what looked like struggling so moved it to a much bigger container, however the roots nowhere near filled the entire original pot.

There was a large amount of ants inside, however.

Sadly it hasn't improved and after a bit of Googling I'm now suspecting box blight. Can anyone confirm this and is there anything we can do to save this?

Really liked this and it was quite expensive. Is there any hope or is it one for the bin?

Any advice much appreciated.

 

Have you checked for webbing and little caterpillars? Box moth is the other big scourge of Buxus and they are active now. You can buy a powder called Bacillus thuringiensis that you mix with water and spray the affected plants. It really works and doesn't harm any other insects, animals or humans. It may be sold under different brand names, but that's the active ingredient to look for. Can be used as a preventative early in the spring, too.

 

Thanks Noisette47. I haven't noticed any but not checked specifically for them. Will give it a good looking over and see.

Is Bacillus thuringiensis useful for box moth, box blight or both? Do you suggest using it on all box even without any signs of issues?

 

It's a bacteria that targets caterpillars, so no use for treating fungal diseases. I use it as a preventative on any plant vulnerable to moth/caterpillar attack and it's very effective

 

Had a further look today following your suggestion and it seems we do have caterpillars. Hopefully this can resolved easily with your recommendations.

Will give it a go, thank you very much.

 

Better to have the caterpillars than blight I'm thinking.

 

I did have a little sigh of relief after seeing them. Hopefully we don't have both

 

I had some at the end of the year before last, I sprayed them and then another spray last spring.
I've not seen any yet this year and the box is growing away well.

 

I used Nurell I seem to use it for most hard to kill pests @JWK

 

I was checking out availability of BT in UK and there doesn't seem to be a specific product aimed at Box moth, as sold over here. There was even one entry suggesting that it's not approved for use there That's crazy as it's a bacteria (not a chemical) which specifically targets caterpillars and doesn't harm anything else! We use it to control pine and oak processionary caterpillars too, but it's genuinely effective against any troublesome moth. It sorted an infestation on my olive trees and Feijoa. I'm seriously thinking of treating my apple trees to see if it controls codling moth.
ETA: What it didn't do, under the trademark 'Blam', was sort out the sciarid fly problem in pots over the winter, but that may be down to low temperatures or the fact that the larvae aren't caterpillars

 

Beware Of Illegal Pesticides Available Online

 

Probably the stuff I used is illegal as well, maybe you can get bacillus on e bay.

I find it totally ridiculous especially with something like Bacillus that farmers are spraying whole orchards with the stuff, but if you want to spray one bush it's illegal.