"Toller" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
news
"Toller" wrote in message
...
I have three holly bushes that were there when I bought the house 13
years ago. Now that I think about it, they haven't grown much in all
that time; hmm.

Last year they started looking sickly. I cut off all the dead stuff and
hoped for the best. Two seem to be recovering, but one died. When I
pulled it out today it had no roots; it pulled out with no resistance!
The bush is about 2' high, but the roots are a ball about the size of a
softball. That can't be right.

So, any idea what is afflicting my hollys? I have a few azaleas and
rhododendrons in the area, and they are not exactly prospering. Maybe
the soil is wrong? It is a moderately sunny area.
What to do?



A google search with the words "rotted root system holly" turned up lots
of links. This one was interesting:
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC2055.htm
Sounds like the Phytophthora thing. Well, at least I know thanks.

Do you think I could get my wife to back off on the mulching?!


Of course. Tell her that every time she adds mulch to plants that suffer
from too much moisture, you're allowed to take $100 out of the bank to spend
in any way you like. If she pretends to forget the agreement (passive
aggressive, in other words), it jumps to $500, then $1000. That should act
like a bucket of crushed ice down her blouse.