I have a row of acuba about 5 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide stretching
along **my side** of **my** hurricane fence between me and the
neighbor. The same stretch of acuba continues around fence corner
and along the back fence and i have another patch of 6 - 6 ft
tall acuba bushes next to a patio providing some privacy from the
side neighbor.

Several months ago about 3 of the very heavily grown Acuba
patches at the front or beginning of the run along the side
fence started wilting on the top, then they kind of recovered
over several months , then they started wilting again about a
month ago and they have steadily gone black but not all over.
Just some of the stalks have died and the ones that have not died
seem to be just the ones that are more on my yard's side.

I first thought disease, pests or drought but none of the other
Acuba bushes in my yard have wilted.

Is there a way to check if the bushes have been treated with weed
kill etc .. or maybe there is some other method of making them
sick to check for ?

helpful replies appreciated.
robb

robb wrote:
I have a row of acuba about 5 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide stretching
along **my side** of **my** hurricane fence between me and the
neighbor. The same stretch of acuba continues around fence corner
and along the back fence and i have another patch of 6 - 6 ft
tall acuba bushes next to a patio providing some privacy from the
side neighbor.

Several months ago about 3 of the very heavily grown Acuba
patches at the front or beginning of the run along the side
fence started wilting on the top, then they kind of recovered
over several months , then they started wilting again about a
month ago and they have steadily gone black but not all over.
Just some of the stalks have died and the ones that have not died
seem to be just the ones that are more on my yard's side.

I first thought disease, pests or drought but none of the other
Acuba bushes in my yard have wilted.

Is there a way to check if the bushes have been treated with weed
kill etc .. or maybe there is some other method of making them
sick to check for ?

helpful replies appreciated.
robb


Next time you see neighbor in the back yard, ask them if they have been
spraying anything near the fence line. They may not have even been aware
they were putting your plants in danger, especially if they were using
one of those screw-on-the-end-of-the-hose things. I'm not familiar with
Acuba- do they tolerate those weed-n-feed sprays flower gardeners seem
to love so much? Maybe over-fertilizing damaged them?

Do you have some reason to think the neighbor doesn't like your plants?
Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by
cluelessness. (Until you have reason to suspect malice, of course.)

--
aem sends...

robb wrote:
I have a row of acuba about 5 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide stretching
along **my side** of **my** hurricane fence between me and the
neighbor. The same stretch of acuba continues around fence corner
and along the back fence and i have another patch of 6 - 6 ft
tall acuba bushes next to a patio providing some privacy from the
side neighbor.

Several months ago about 3 of the very heavily grown Acuba
patches at the front or beginning of the run along the side
fence started wilting on the top, then they kind of recovered
over several months , then they started wilting again about a
month ago and they have steadily gone black but not all over.
Just some of the stalks have died and the ones that have not died
seem to be just the ones that are more on my yard's side.

I first thought disease, pests or drought but none of the other
Acuba bushes in my yard have wilted.

Is there a way to check if the bushes have been treated with weed
kill etc .. or maybe there is some other method of making them
sick to check for ?

helpful replies appreciated.
robb


What side is dying...north, south, east or west? Possibly too much sun?
I did a quick Google search and found hits for "aucuba". I'm in Florida
and we had a lot of plants nipped by frost a month or so ago. Some lost
all of their leaves but are recovering. If you had a frost, give them a
month to see if they send out new growth, then prune out the dead stuff.

robb wrote:
I have a row of acuba about 5 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide stretching
along **my side** of **my** hurricane fence between me and the
neighbor. The same stretch of acuba continues around fence corner
and along the back fence and i have another patch of 6 - 6 ft
tall acuba bushes next to a patio providing some privacy from the
side neighbor.

Several months ago about 3 of the very heavily grown Acuba
patches at the front or beginning of the run along the side
fence started wilting on the top, then they kind of recovered
over several months , then they started wilting again about a
month ago and they have steadily gone black but not all over.
Just some of the stalks have died and the ones that have not died
seem to be just the ones that are more on my yard's side.

I first thought disease, pests or drought but none of the other
Acuba bushes in my yard have wilted.

Is there a way to check if the bushes have been treated with weed
kill etc .. or maybe there is some other method of making them
sick to check for ?

A former neighbor of mine had a problem with another neighbor spraying a shrub
on the side of the lot they shared. A guy spraying the fruit trees asked about
the injured plant, and called the state EPA, who came out and took samples.
Later, they had a long talk with the offender. So, yes, such checks may work.

"aemeijers" wrote in message
news
robb wrote:
[trim]

Do you have some reason to think the neighbor doesn't like your
plants?
Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by
cluelessness. (Until you have reason to suspect malice, of
course.)

--
aem sends...

Thanks aem,

For the ideas.

Yes, i have couple of suspicions and reasons.

The neighbor purposefully (I witnessed) spray and kill a long
strip/patch of bedded lavendar along my property line, when i
confronted them, she claimed she thought they were just weeds.

She often frets, moans and complains about her border plants not
getting enough sunlight due to my bushes and trees.

She has often offered to help pay to cut my trees (oaks) down.

I have not witnessed so i would like to have some evidence.

Thanks again
robb

wrote in message
m...
robb wrote:
[trim]

What side is dying...north, south, east or west? Possibly too
much sun?
I did a quick Google search and found hits for "aucuba". I'm
in Florida
and we had a lot of plants nipped by frost a month or so ago.
Some lost
all of their leaves but are recovering. If you had a frost,
give them a
month to see if they send out new growth, then prune out the
dead stuff.


Thanks for the help,

It is the due west side but we have so many trees that i do not
think it is too much sun.

we did have more snow and frost this year and later than normal,
but i did not take note of the cause and affect of the cold nor
our monsoons we have had recently as well.

thanks,
robb

"Bob F" wrote in message
...
robb wrote:
[trim]
A former neighbor of mine had a problem with another neighbor
spraying a shrub
on the side of the lot they shared. A guy spraying the fruit
trees asked about
the injured plant, and called the state EPA, who came out and
took samples.
Later, they had a long talk with the offender. So, yes, such
checks may work.


thanks,
I'll look into anysuch service then.
robb

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 2 May 2010 16:13:22 -0400, "robb"
wrote:

[trim]

helpful replies appreciated.
robb


http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/not...od21aucuba.htm


Thanks G.

I will inspect the plant for all those malladies.

thanks
robb

robb wrote:
wrote in message
m...
robb wrote:
[trim]
What side is dying...north, south, east or west? Possibly too
much sun?
I did a quick Google search and found hits for "aucuba". I'm
in Florida
and we had a lot of plants nipped by frost a month or so ago.
Some lost
all of their leaves but are recovering. If you had a frost,
give them a
month to see if they send out new growth, then prune out the
dead stuff.

Thanks for the help,

It is the due west side but we have so many trees that i do not
think it is too much sun.

we did have more snow and frost this year and later than normal,
but i did not take note of the cause and affect of the cold nor
our monsoons we have had recently as well.

thanks,
robb

Your neighbor sounds like a gem ) Hope for your sake that the plants
haven't been sabotaged. If she is a good gardener, perhaps the next
discussion of your oak trees could lead to better choices for her, like
azalea, rhododentron, hosta, ferns, etc ) As for spraying with an
herbicide, it has been my experience that they cause green vegetation to
lose it's color and become almost white, not black.

Your description of the plants "going black" certainly sounds to me like
they have a disease. I'm not at all familiar with aucuba, but prolonged
snow cover can lead to or agravate mildew/fungus problems. I'd take an
affected specimen to an extension agent or professional nursery for
their opinion. In case of disease, you might benefit from trimming all
of the affected plants and disposing of the trimmings. Experiment with
a little antifungual. Mold or mildew sometimes becomes more pronounced
when aphids attack and the plant is expressing sap.