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Viburnum is dying #868770

Asked May 16, 2024, 4:52 PM EDT

I have 2 viburnum bushes which had been thriving in my suburban yard for more than 30 years. Last fall, one of them had some leaves that shriveled up and turned brown, instead of the typical autumn red. This spring, it looked much worse. It got leaves but many of them turned brown and it had only a few blossoms, instead of being covered as usual. The adjacent bush looks better but now the green leaves on it are curling and look shriveled. What could cause this and what can I do to save these bushes?

Franklin County Ohio

Expert Response

Hi Nancy, your question has come to me in Fayette County.  I can see from your pictures that you have the same thing on the leaves that we have had at our church.  There has been a huge number of aphids on the leaves of viburnums this spring.  We at first thought it was herbicide damage that made the leaves curl so bad, but it was indeed a large number of aphids distorting the leaves and making them curl up and hold a village of aphids.  We did see some ladybugs trying to make a dent and feast on the aphids, but the curling of leaves was already beyond any change.  Those leaves will probably stay that way for the rest of the season and the new leaves will come out normally.  

You have obviously another problem going on that I can't see from here.  There has been an outbreak of viburnum leaf beetle in Ohio the last few years.  They naturally eat the leaves and riddle them all season long.  They also lay eggs that hatch and the larvae or tiny grubs feed on the roots of the viburnum.  That feeding can progress to the point of severe damage to the roots.  The tops can come out with a few leaves but the shrub will slowly die because the roots have been compromised.  The only way to check for this is to dig down into the soil and get a sample of roots and tops.  Take the fresh sample to the OSU Franklin County Extension Office at the Watterman Farm at Kenny and Lane Avenue.  They should be able to take a look and determine what is causing the shrub to die.  

Again, you have a couple of things happening.  The new leaves have an aphid problem and then the roots have been eaten away by the tiny grubs of the viburnum beetle.  OSU Extension can verify what is causing the problem and give you a plan of what to try.  Hope this helps.  Don
Don Creamer  Replied May 19, 2024, 6:30 PM EDT
Thank you for your reply. Fortunately, we live about a mile from the Waterman Farm so we will make a trip over there to the Franklin County Extension Office this week. I'm a little unclear about what sample we should take with us. You referred to "roots and tops". What do you mean by tops? Should we take the top part of the root and then a section from deeper down? Thanks for any guidance you can give.

On Sun, May 19, 2024 at 6:30 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied May 21, 2024, 2:45 PM EDT
Hi again Nancy, the fresh sample should be from the growing part of the shrub.  The best way to describe is to get a portion that has green leaves and shows the rest of the stem as well.  You could get a sample of some of the roots as well to see if they show feeding by the grubs of the viburnum beetle.  You could also take a picture once you get the soil dug away from the root system in a spot.  For them to tell you what is going on, they need a portion of the stems that show both the dead or dying part and the green and growing part.  Same thing for the roots.  You should have really bad roots and then some healthy or white newly growing roots if you can find any.  Get your sample and take it in the same day and don't let it sit in the car to heat up and dry out.  Hope this helps.  Don
Don Creamer  Replied May 21, 2024, 9:43 PM EDT

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