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Problem Solver Plant Marquee

Plant:

Holly
Image of Holly
Flowering
Many species of holly are grown for their berries, which are showy in fall and winter. Most holly plants are either male or female, and both must be present in your neighborhood for female plants to develop berries. Male plants do not produce berries.
Adaptation
Throughout most of the United States
Pruning
Some varieties may be sheared for hedges.
Soil
Well drained soil that''s rich in oganic material.
Water
Holly grows best with ample water. Water when the soil is moist but no longer wet.
Fertilizer
Fertilize with plant food formulated for acid-loving plants.
Light
Full sun to shade. Berry production is greatest in full sun.
Related problems

Holly Leaf Miners -

Image of Holly Leaf Miners
Holly Leaf Miners

Iron Deficiency - Holly

Image of Iron Deficiency - Holly
Iron Deficiency

Leaf Spots - Holly

Image of Leaf Spots - Holly
Leaf Spots

Scales - Holly

Image of Scales - Holly
Scales

Southern Red Mite -

Image of Southern Red Mite
Southern Red Mite

Yaupon Psyllid -

Image of Yaupon Psyllid
Yaupon Psyllid
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Holly Leaf Miners -

Image of Holly Leaf Miners
Holly Leaf Miners
Description
Yellowish or brown winding trails or blotches appear in the leaves. The leaves may also be distorted and have tiny green blisters or multiple pinprick puncture marks on the lower surface. In severe cases, all the leaves are affected, and most of them may drop from the plant. When the blotch is torn open, a tiny, yellowish-white maggot is found.
Analysis

Phytomyza species The damage caused by these leaf miners is unsightly and ruins the value of those types of holly used as winter holiday decorations. Both the larva and the adult cause damage. The insect spends the winter as a larva, or pupa, inside a fallen leaf or a leaf still attached to the plant. Adults-tiny black flies-appear during May, when new plant growth is 1/2 to 1 inch long. The female deposits eggs inside the leaf by making a slit in the lower surfaces of the leaf. The flies (only the females in some species) feed on the sap by stabbing through the leaf surface. This feeding causes the puncture marks and distortion. The eggs deposited inside the leaves hatch into maggots that feed on the inner leaf tissue, producing the mines, or trails. In a heavy infestation, especially during a dry season, the plant may drop almost all its leaves and will remain bare until the following spring.

Solution

Control leaf miners with an insecticide labeled for this pest, following label directions. Rake up and destroy fallen leaves.

Close

Iron Deficiency - Holly

Image of Iron Deficiency - Holly
Iron Deficiency
Description
Some of the leaves turn pale green to yellow. The newest leaves may be completely yellow, with only their veins remaining green. On the older leaves, only the edges may be yellowing. The plant may be stunted.
Analysis

This is a common problem with acid-loving plants such as holly. The plant prefers soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. The yellowing is due to a deficiency of iron and other minor nutrients in the plant. The soil is seldom deficient in iron, but iron is often found in an insoluble form that is not available to the plant, especially in soil with a pH above 7.0. A high soil pH can result from overliming or from lime leached from cement or brick. Regions where soil is derived from limestone or where rainfall is low also have high-pH soils. Plants use iron in the formation of chlorophyll in the leaves. When iron is lacking, new leaves are yellow.

Solution

Fertilize with a plant food formulated for acid-loving plants. If your soil drainage is poor, add enough peat moss at a 50:50 ratio to native soil when planting holly. Never lime the soil around this plant.

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Leaf Spots - Holly

Image of Leaf Spots - Holly
Leaf Spots
Description
Spots and blotches appear on the leaves. The spots may be yellow, red, tan, gray, or brown. They range in size from barely visible to 1/2 inch in diameter. Several spots may join to form blotches. Leaves may turn yellow and die. Some leaves may drop. Leaf spotting is most severe in warm, humid weather.
Analysis

Several different fungi cause leaf spots on holly. These spots are unsightly but rarely harmful to the plant. The fungi are spread by splashing water and wind. Spots develop where the fungi enter the tissue. If wet or humid weather persists, the fungi spread through the tissue, and blotches form. The fungi survive the winter on the leaves and twigs. Most leaf spot organisms do their greatest damage in mild to warm weather (between 50&deg; and 85&deg;F).

Solution

Where practical, remove and destroy infected leaves. On valuable specimens, spray with Ortho Garden Disease Control or a fungicide containing ferbam. Repeat at intervals of 2 weeks for as long as the weather remains favorable for infection.

Close

Scales - Holly

Image of Scales - Holly
Scales
Description
Stems and leaves are covered with white, cottony, cushionlike masses; brown, crusty bumps; or clusters of somewhat flattened reddish, gray, or brown scaly bumps. These masses don''t move when touched. The bumps can be scraped off or picked off easily. Leaves turn yellow and may drop. A shiny or sticky material may cover the leaves and stems. Sooty mold may develop on the sticky substance.
Analysis

Many different species of scales infest holly. They lay their eggs on the leaves or bark in the spring, and in midsummer the young scales, called crawlers, settle on various parts of the tree or shrub. The small (1/10 inch), soft-bodied young feed by sucking sap from the plant. The legs usually atrophy, and a hard crusty or waxy shell develops over the body. Mature female scales lay their eggs underneath their shells. Some species of scales infesting holly are unable to digest fully all the sugar in the plant sap, and they excrete the excess in a fluid called honeydew. A black sooty mold fungus may develop on the honeydew. An uncontrolled infestation of scales may kill the plant after 2 or 3 seasons.

Solution

Spray with an insecticide labeled for this pest, following label instructions. In spring, before new growth begins, spray the trunk and branches with a horticultural oil.

Close

Southern Red Mite -

Image of Southern Red Mite
Southern Red Mite
Description
Leaves are stippled (spotted) yellow or grayish green and dirty and are often smaller than normal. A silken webbing may be on the lower surfaces of the leaves. To check for mites, hold a sheet of white paper underneath a branch that has stippled leaves and tap the branch sharply. Minute reddish specks the size of pepper grains will drop to the paper and begin to crawl around.
Analysis

Oligonychus ilicis The southern red mite, also known as red spider, is a major pest of many broadleaf evergreen plants in the eastern half of the country. The mites cause damage by sucking sap from both the top and the undersides of leaves. As a result of feeding, the green leaf pigment disappears, producing the stippled appearance. These mites are most prolific in cooler weather. They feed and reproduce primarily during spring and, in some cases, fall. At the onset of hot weather (70&deg;F and up), the mites have already caused their maximum damage.

Solution

When you first notice stippling in the spring, appl an insecticide labeled for this pest, following label directions. Injured leaves remain on the plant for more than 1 growing season. Hose down plants frequently to knock off webs and mites.

Close

Yaupon Psyllid -

Image of Yaupon Psyllid
Yaupon Psyllid
Description
New leaves are deformed. A small, rough gall forms on the entire leaf or a portion of the leaf in the spring and summer. The galls gradually turn from green to dark red as the season progresses. A white fluffy material and several tiny, yellow, wingless insects may be inside the galls.
Analysis

Metaphalaria ilicis This insect feeds exclusively on yaupon. It secretes a substance that stimulates abnormal leaf growth, producing galls that enclose the insects. Immature psyllids feed during the spring and summer, sucking the juices from the succulent tissues within the gall. In the fall they develop into winged adults. The female adults lay eggs in the late fall; the eggs hatch the following spring. Psyllid infestations do not kill yaupon but can greatly slow its growth. Severe, repeated infestations over several years give the plant a bushy, pruned appearance.

Solution

If galling has already occurred, cut out deformed plant parts and compost or dispose of them.

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