Hi Guys,
We need some help with a recent problem, namely, something is eating our established
and healthy Viburnum plants - the stems, not the leaves.
We took some photos, and asked the local nursery, but no success.
Is anyone came across with this problem, and can tell us what is the pest, and how can we stop
to destroy the plants.
Hi Tibor
Viburnum are susceptible to various pests and fungal diseases that can affect the stems.
Your description suggests that the problem may be Stem cankers, these may be caused by a species of Botryosphaeria and tends to occur in plants that are stressed either from drought or injury. The fungus enters the plant through the wound and kills the cambium and sapwood tissue in the branch causing sunken dark areas of dead cells (Cankers). If this is the problem you will need to prune off all diseased branches and ditch them - do not put in your compost. Remember to sterilise your pruners after each cut. Once you have removed all the diseased parts of the shrub you will need to water regularly so the soil.