Steeds Holly dying. - Ask Extension
Purchased 3 Steeds hollys in spring, amended soil w/ leafgro and added hollitone. Planted as understory but they get good dappled sun . Watered weekl...
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Steeds Holly dying. #919774
Asked October 12, 2025, 10:01 AM EDT
Purchased 3 Steeds hollys in spring, amended soil w/ leafgro and added hollitone. Planted as understory but they get good dappled sun . Watered weekly. Two have damage showing a week or so ago. Cannot tell what it is so used both insecticide and fungicide.
Harford County Maryland
Expert Response
The dieback resembles the branch loss that can occur from Thielaviopsis, a type of root rot that is unfortunately fairly common for Japanese Holly and a few other holly species. Conditions that predispose plants to infection are noted in the fact sheet on the linked page, but sometimes plants might be inadvertently purchased with the pathogen already in the root ball if it's not yet causing symptoms.
Whether the dieback is due to Thielaviopsis or another infection, there is no cure as fungicides will not reverse the damage, so you'll need to prune off any brown, leafless, and discolored growth (branches with sickly yellow-green or faded-green leaves as opposed to glossy, deep green leaves). If that removes too much of the plant's canopy to be practical or aesthetically tolerable, then you may want to replace the plant instead. We can't predict if an ailing shrub will be able to recover with new root growth, but new branch growth to fill in gaps will take a couple years to replace what was lost.
For the future, do not apply insecticide or fungicide until a diagnosis can be narrowed-down. Pesticides can damage plants or cause other problems if used without knowing what condition needs to be treated (if treatment is even possible), what specific ingredient to use, and when applications need to be made.
If you replant, you should not need to amend the soil again, and forego using Holly-tone, as added nutrients should not be needed unless the soil you're planting in has a measured nutrient deficiency. (Many nursery plants also have time-release fertilizer pellets in the potting mix. Only a laboratory soil test can determine if the soil in that spot of the garden has a nutrient deficiency pronounced enough to benefit from fertilization.) When watering, feel the soil about six inches deep next to the roots and water thoroughly only once it's become somewhat dry to the touch at that depth.
Make sure the root ball is well loosened after the plants come out of the pot so that roots can more easily establish in the surrounding soil. If the root ball is not loosened enough, that can also make watering the plant trickier, since the potting mix inside the root ball will dry out faster than the surrounding soil. How often to water will depend on factors like soil type and weather, and while it might wind-up being about once a week, it may be more or less at different times of the season depending on temperature trends, rain, competition with nearby tree roots, soil drainage, etc.
A part-sun/part-shade exposure is fine for Japanese Hollies, and they require good drainage. If you opt to replant, you may be able to do so now, but it's getting close to being too late to install evergreens, since they will be at higher risk of winter damage if they cannot establish enough roots before the soil surface starts to freeze. If you decide to wait, you can replant in spring. If you want to keep these plants and see how they fare, just prune off all symptomatic branches, keep monitoring them for watering needs (many areas of Maryland are still abnormally dry), and wait for new growth in spring.
Miri
Whether the dieback is due to Thielaviopsis or another infection, there is no cure as fungicides will not reverse the damage, so you'll need to prune off any brown, leafless, and discolored growth (branches with sickly yellow-green or faded-green leaves as opposed to glossy, deep green leaves). If that removes too much of the plant's canopy to be practical or aesthetically tolerable, then you may want to replace the plant instead. We can't predict if an ailing shrub will be able to recover with new root growth, but new branch growth to fill in gaps will take a couple years to replace what was lost.
For the future, do not apply insecticide or fungicide until a diagnosis can be narrowed-down. Pesticides can damage plants or cause other problems if used without knowing what condition needs to be treated (if treatment is even possible), what specific ingredient to use, and when applications need to be made.
If you replant, you should not need to amend the soil again, and forego using Holly-tone, as added nutrients should not be needed unless the soil you're planting in has a measured nutrient deficiency. (Many nursery plants also have time-release fertilizer pellets in the potting mix. Only a laboratory soil test can determine if the soil in that spot of the garden has a nutrient deficiency pronounced enough to benefit from fertilization.) When watering, feel the soil about six inches deep next to the roots and water thoroughly only once it's become somewhat dry to the touch at that depth.
Make sure the root ball is well loosened after the plants come out of the pot so that roots can more easily establish in the surrounding soil. If the root ball is not loosened enough, that can also make watering the plant trickier, since the potting mix inside the root ball will dry out faster than the surrounding soil. How often to water will depend on factors like soil type and weather, and while it might wind-up being about once a week, it may be more or less at different times of the season depending on temperature trends, rain, competition with nearby tree roots, soil drainage, etc.
A part-sun/part-shade exposure is fine for Japanese Hollies, and they require good drainage. If you opt to replant, you may be able to do so now, but it's getting close to being too late to install evergreens, since they will be at higher risk of winter damage if they cannot establish enough roots before the soil surface starts to freeze. If you decide to wait, you can replant in spring. If you want to keep these plants and see how they fare, just prune off all symptomatic branches, keep monitoring them for watering needs (many areas of Maryland are still abnormally dry), and wait for new growth in spring.
Miri
