Hi Rebecca if you could send pictures of your snow ball bush, the entire bush, and any leaves with holes and pictures of the worms that would help.



  Rebecca, if you were trying to send a picture(s), they didn't come through.  Can you please resend.

Thank you.

  Rebecca,  It’s hard to say exactly what is wrong with your snowball bush without a picture or better yet, a sample to see what going on. Snowball bushes are susceptible to several diseases and pests. But in general to help your plant you can remove affected leaves and pruning it to improve air circulation. This helps reduce humidity levels and speeds up the drying of foliage which reduces the chances of a disease getting started. And avoid overhead irrigation to keep leaves dry.

  Snowball bushes (viburnums) do best with six hours of sun each day. They prefer a moist soil, so check the soil moisture during dry periods. To help keep the soil moist and to help prevent diseases keep a 2 - 3 inch layer of mulch under the plant. For the health of the plant keep the mulch away from the stem of the plant.

  Viburnums benefit from a yearly application of fertilizer. But before adding fertilizer this year I would suggest doing a laboratory soil fertility test on soil around the viburnum. A lab soil test will tell you if the soil needs fertilizer, what the pH of the soil is and other important information. If the soil around the viburnum isn’t right for it this could be causing the decline you’re seeing.

  If your viburnum doesn’t improve you can contact us again and/or you county’s OSU extension office. You can take a sample of the viburnum into the extension office to show them what’s going on. The extension office can also help you with soil testing.

  If you use any herbicides or pesticides be sure to read and follow the directions on the product's label.

  Thank you for using Ask a Master Gardener.  Here are some links to information on viburnum's. 

Clemson

OSU