Gardeners commonly use evergreen shrubs as hedges, privacy screens and foundation plantings. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Cytospora canker of spruce is a stem disease caused by a fungal pathogen (Cytospora kunzei) that typically attacks older evergreens. Control requires the infected parts of the shrub to be removed. Older branches sometimes develop large, resinous cankers in wounds. Fully matured galls swell and sprout red-brown, jelly-like horns during rainy spring conditions. Since disease weaken the trees and shrubs vigor it is also in the best interest of your valued plants to be soil treated and deep root fertilized when and as needed. Initial symptoms include browning needles and dying lower branches. These treatments should not be applied until a qualified arborist has reviewed your particular landscape and assessed if the plants should be fertilized, with what method and type of material and when, (not all things are the same when it comes to fertilizing your trees and shrubs). Diplodia tip blight is caused by a fungal pathogen (Sphaeropsis sapinea) that typically attacks the young needles. Cankers frequently form at the bases of the affected branches. Evergreen & Shrub diseases can have a major impact on the entire landscape and if not properly treated can lead to death in plants. Some diseases such as "Root Rot" can seldom or ever be treated with any level of success. Cankers frequently form at the bases of the affected branches. Cedar-hawthorn rust is a fungal disease (Gymnosporangium globosum) that affects cedars and junipers. The fungus first develops into tiny galls on the branches of its evergreen host. Evergreen shrubs are susceptible to a number of plant diseases. And when disease infections are allowed to spread year after year their toll becomes evident as you can see a noticeable decline in the trees and shrubs health and beauty. This evergreen disease is most prevalent during extended periods of warm, wet weather. Symptoms of pine wilt include fading and yellowing foliage, wilting needles, stunted plant growth and dead needles clinging to the branches. The nematodes breed rapidly, killing the tree by plugging the vascular tissue. Plant diseases rarely kill the tree or shrub quickly. Higher branches show signs of damage as the disease progresses. And those are just three of the diseases that could be growing on customers’ trees and shrubs. They weaken the overall vigor of the plant. Initial symptoms include browning needles and dying lower branches. Treatments of these diseases often depends on the extent of the infection, the type of fungus, and the impact they will have in any particular landscape. Homoptera insects, (such as aphids) feed on fungus and thus create yet another challenge for the trees over all vigor. These pathogens typically spread by insects, particularly sawyer beetles. The goal for any tree and shrub is to keep them as healthy and beautiful as possible so we can all enjoy them. Sanitation, such as pruning out infected tips, can slow the progress of the disease. Left uncared for your trees and shrubs will continue to decline to a condition of being unsightly or dead and that the only action at this point is for them to be removed. Cytospora canker Dying lower branches on spruce are often caused by this canker disease, which kills the branch close to the trunk of the tree. Evergreens can develop armillaria root rot, also known as oak root fungus and shoestring disease. Regular applications of fungicides during the growing season help to control phomopsis blight. These fungal spores spread by wind and rain and can survive in diseased tissue for up to two years. The evergreen classification includes junipers, false cypress shrubs and cherry laurels. Fungal diseases make the plant sickly looking and unsightly. Although evergreen diseases generally cause a certain pattern when they affect a tree, it sometimes is difficult to provide an exact diagnosis without seeing the tree in person. Pine wilt is caused when pine wood nematodes (Bursaphelebchus xylophilus) invade xylem tissue. Proper pruning helps to prevent further spore spreading to healthy branches. These growths develop on the tree’s needles and then move onto the twigs. Evergreens suffering from advanced stages of this disease sometimes form small black spots of fungal spores. Cedar-hawthorn rust is a fungal disease (Gymnosporangium globosum) that affects cedars and junipers. Treatments of these diseases often depends on the extent of the infection, the type of fungus, and the impact they will have in any particular landscape. The use of Dormant Oil as well as other targeted insecticides should also be part of any plant disease managed care program. Evergreen shrubs are susceptible to a number of plant diseases. So we asked The Davey Institute’s Deborah D. Miller, plant pathologist and senior diagnostician, and Grant Jones, technical adviser, to break down the 10 most common tree and shrubs diseases … Severe rust problems often cause the foliage to yellow and prematurely drop. For help identifying health care needs in your landscape please contact a professional arborist here at Branch Tree Service, Inc. © 2019 Branch Tree & Landscape Service, Inc. Common Fungal Diseases on Evergreen Trees and Shrubs, Plant diseases rarely kill the tree or shrub quickly. It kills the trunk at the base of the evergreen and the major roots. Early symptoms include brown or stunted needles that sometimes twist or curl. The table below lists plant host, disease common name, scientific name, and disease type for pests included in this Web site. For example, in the picture to the right, it appears that this Blue Spruce is suffering from a disease, but then again it could be caused by an insect as well. Evergreen shrubs are plants that retain most of their foliage, called needles, throughout the cold winter months. The canker disease pathogens spread by wind, rain or infected pruning tools. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, Ohio State University Extension: Cytospora Canker of Spruce, University of Illinois Extension: Phomopsis Blight, University of Illinois Extension: Cedar-Hawthorn Rust, Cornell University Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic: Diplodia Tip Blight, Washington State University: Evergreen Shrub Information. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! The immature galls appear a reddish-brown color while the mature galls are scarred and gray-brown. In this case, the franchisee included a close-up picture of the damage, which is … Fungal diseases make the plant sickly looking and unsightly. Evergreen shrubs are plants that retain most of their foliage, called needles, throughout the cold winter months. Once infected the only method of control is to remove so to avoid and minimize the disease spread or other plants in the general area. See photo - credit, For help identifying health care needs in your landscape please. The immature galls appear a reddish-brown color while the mature galls are scarred and gray-brown. Early spring dormant and needle development stage treatments will help protect against new disease fungus outbreaks. Problem: Verticillium wilt is a fungal disease that affects hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, edibles and ornamentals (see list of susceptible plants here). Affected trees should be removed immediately to avoid spreading this disease. This disease is often mistaken for drought or winter damage. Many cedar and juniper shrubs contract the phomopsis blight diseases caused by a fungus (Phomopsis juniperovora). Progression is slow, but the disease will deform and eventually kill the tree. Click on the common name to link to more information about the disease. Many cedar and juniper shrubs contract the phomopsis blight diseases caused by a fungus (Phomopsis juniperovora). White, purple or amber resin patches occasionally appear on the bark around cankers. There are many sources of fungal diseases that can cause an evergreen to appear sick or dying and greatly weaken the overall health of the evergreen trees and or shrubs. Pine wilt is caused when pine wood nematodes (Bursaphelebchus xylophilus) invade xylem tissue. This rust disease is often controlled by applying fungicides before the spring bloom.