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Box Blight

Box blight is a disease that attacks unhealthy and weakened plants.  It is recognisable buy the brown leaves that then drop and form bare, dead patches on the plants.

As with any disease, prevention is better than cure.   Keeping your plants strong and healthy by applying feed on a regular basis.  Highly recommended is TopBuxus Health Mix.  It really is simple to apply and the results are excellent.  This professional mix is often used by Buxus growers.

As important as feed is watering.  Not enough water will result in a stressed plant that is then more prone to attacks from pests and diseases.  Water the roots and not the foliage to also prevent the onset of Box Blight.  Blight just loves those warm wet leaf surfaces when you water through the foliage of a Box plant.  Make sure newly planted Box are well watered on a regular basis and mulch after planting. 

Good husbandry is essential to prevent the spread of Box Blight.  Cleaning tools between plants with Jeyes Fluid and also picking up all infected, dropped leaves and then burning.  Do not place on the compost heap. 

Box Caterpillar Moth

This caterpillar can be devastating for Box and is can strip the plant in no time at all.  But don’t fear, it is not as bad as it sounds.  Yes, the plant will look pretty awful for a while, but they can recover from this as long as the damages isn’t to the main stems. Patience is key here with what you decide to do.  You can treat, which will take some time or dig out and replace. 

Affected stems can be cut out and remaining branches sprayed with any general insecticide designed for caterpillars, that is sold in the shop (please read instructions on packaging before using any insecticides). 

Alternatively, you can use Buxus pheromones traps to monitor the adult moth levels as we do on site here at Provender Nurseries. These attract the male moth by giving off the scent of the female pheromone. By trapping the male moth the breeding cycle is broken.  You can also use the traps for monitoring the level of infestation around existing Box plants and how often they should be treated. 

To control Box Caterpillar Moth you can also use XenTari which is a biological insecticides designed to control caterpillars.  This can be purchased via this link on the Provender Nurseries website.  Please note we do not hold this in stock.