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Dying bed of Myrtle #878309

Asked July 22, 2024, 4:17 PM EDT

I have had a large bed of ground myrtle. This summer much of it is turning brown and dying. The whole plant is brown, no spots. When I have pulled plants, there are webs near the ground. I tried watering it, but that didn't help. What can I do?

Cuyahoga County Ohio

Expert Response

Hello,

I am sorry to hear that your ground myrtle is dying. It would be very helpful to see a picture of the problem. I did find some information on  one disease in a factsheet from Penn State. Please take a look and compare to your plants.  Feel free to ask additional questions and send pictures. 

Vinca Diseases (psu.edu)

I look forward to helping you further.

Sue Schillig Replied July 23, 2024, 8:17 PM EDT
Here are some photos. It looks a lot like the third one you sent. The pachysandra and ivy in the same bed are doing well. I hope I don't have to spray a big bed with insecticide.

On Tue, Jul 23, 2024 at 8:17 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied July 24, 2024, 4:13 PM EDT

It does appear that phoma blight may be the problem. Start by removing all the dead material. 

Here is a factsheet to confirm this:

Phoma stem blight of Vinca (purduelandscapereport.org)

Phoma is a fungal disease, so no pesticide spraying is needed. I am not sure if a fungicide spray would be helpful in a bed with existing disease. I think you might start by removing all the dead material and see what happens. Do not put the dead material in your compost, as it would spread fungal disease elsewhere.  It looks like the disease thrives in cool, wet conditions. Overhead watering is not recommended. Fortunately vinca can tolerate some dry conditions. I hope your vinca can recover.

Sue Schillig Replied July 25, 2024, 8:33 AM EDT
Thank you for  the information. We have a big bed and I already spent 2 hours removing the dead plants. Now there is much more to go.
By next year  will it be safe to put in new plants since the soil is infected now?
Thanks to you I at least know what the problem is.

On Thu, Jul 25, 2024 at 8:33 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied July 25, 2024, 9:32 AM EDT

 According to the article it appears that the disease can remain in the soil for several years. When you feel comfortable replanting the vinca. The following factsheet gives some advise on dealing with the disease and attempting to replant lost areas. 

Vinca Blight and Root Rot (illinois.edu)

I hope you have good luck refurbishing your ground myrtle. It sounds like it might be an awful lot of work to do so though.

Sue Schillig Replied July 26, 2024, 8:45 PM EDT

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