sooty mould on holly

edward hanlon asked 12 years ago

The upper surface of the leaves on my mature holly bush Golden King is covered with a black sooty mould, which can be washed off.A young small holly alongside is now similarly affected. Other evergreen shrubs alongside are NOT affected.Under surfaces of leaves have browny ? mites, and/or raised white patches. Can you suggest cause and solution please ?

1 Answers

Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Sooty moulds grow on the sugary solution exctreted by greenflies and scale insects and the problem is usually seen on ivy, holly, camellia and bay laurel.

The moulds are just a symptom and the insects are the cause and the problem can be solved by waiting until natural predators and parasites build up,  or by spraying with a garden insecticide. This cna be difficult to acheive with a tall bush.

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