I have been searching online as much as I can to find some information ad see if something is going on with my hedge. I live in the United States in region 9 (Houston area, so hot and humid right now)

I planted these 15 gallon ligustrums to create a hedge back in April 2022, they were growing but hit with freezing temps and lost most their leaves the same year. I trimed them and in 2023 they started coming back to live nicely and growing. A couple of months ago I had guys trim it into shape a bit.

Since then I don't know if something is wrong or some things are okay. You can see in one picture one of them looks pretty bare now and it had good foliage before. I do notice new growth on all the branches with the nodules around it. Then on some branches they would end up dried up at the end of some of the branches and then other leaves were kind of there. Some plants look nice and green as you can see in the picture, others seem to have much darker curled leaves. I upped the water amount daily from the sprinklers thinking they are not getting enough for their size in these heat.

I guess ultimately I am wondering, if the way these little bunches or leaves with those clusters that dry up after is normal becuase I hadn't seen them before. Then any suggestions what I am doing wrong or are these plants just not thriving anymore after doing some trimming of stray branches? I have looked around the neighborhood since there are a lot of them, but all others seem fine. They get good sunlight out in the open as well. The only thing I did about 4 months back was put some Fertilizer Stakes in the ground which I did in the past with no issues.

Thank you for all your help in advance.

A close up photo of the stems would help, but it looks to me as if there is a scale infecting them.

porkpal said: A close up photo of the stems would help, but it looks to me as if there is a scale infecting them.

Thank you for your reply. Here are some closeup of the stems on a number of the plans. No matter the condition of them they all seem the same.

I have never seen ligustrums that looked like that. Whatever it is, they are definitely sick. I'm sure someone will be along sh0rtly with a better answer.

porkpal said: I have never seen ligustrums that looked like that. Whatever it is, they are definitely sick. I'm sure someone will be along sh0rtly with a better answer.

Thank you for your time. I had never seen it before either so that's why I have been trying to search high and wide to find any answer I could and found this forum. So weird looking and really sad that they are going this way. It's like they are trying to grow and get bigger but they are getting stunted.

It could be the plants were stressed before you even bought them.

Do you recall how the root balls looked when you took them out of the pots? Were they cramped or bunched? If so, did you loosen and spread them out before planting?

The plants may have appeared healthy the first year, running on reserves. Potted nursery plants often get jacked up to look good for sale. They could have been severely deformed and stressed without appearing to be.

So those little nubs you see could be the plant's effort to sprout new growth - but they are just not able to raise the necessary spunk.

This is just a guess.

Think back: how did the roots look when you planted them?

greenriverfs said: It could be the plants were stressed before you even bought them.

Do you recall how the root balls looked when you took them out of the pots? Were they cramped or bunched? If so, did you loosen and spread them out before planting?

The plants may have appeared healthy the first year, running on reserves. Potted nursery plants often get jacked up to look good for sale. They could have been severely deformed and stressed without appearing to be.

So those little nubs you see could be the plant's effort to sprout new growth - but they are just not able to raise the necessary spunk.

This is just a guess.

Think back: how did the roots look when you planted them?

Unfortunately I do not remember the root balls, they definitely looked healthy and large when I first had them planted by my landscaper. I would have to guess they probably didn't spread the roots out. I just remember them taking it out of the pot and putting in better soil in the hole since we have clay soil and then topping it off.

I purchased these directly from a grower (my friend owns a flower shop and nursery and were very full and nice)

I'm hoping they can recover and gain the strength. Or if there is anything that really can be done to revive them.

I suspect it's fasciation but have no idea what the cause is. It could be some type of insect, fungus, or other factor.

purpleinopp said: I suspect it's fasciation but have no idea what the cause is. It could be some type of insect, fungus, or other factor.

Is there a recommended "wash or cleaner" to slowly get rid of any possible issues. Even if it's preventative on others? Do these type of plants eventually heal?

Sorry, I have no idea. In order to treat it, you would need to first figure out what is causing it. Searching for info about fasciation for that kind of plant may lead to relevant info.

purpleinopp said: Sorry, I have no idea. In order to treat it, you would need to first figure out what is causing it. Searching for info about fasciation for that kind of plant may lead to relevant info.

Makes sense, thank you for your time. It's been hard to figure out what I could do given I haven't been able to find anything like this online. Initially chalked it up to lack of water in these really hot summer months. But now thinking there is more to it.

Happy to try to help you find clues for your investigation. : )

Thirst is usually easy to identify by watering very thoroughly and deeply, and then seeing an improvement within a few days, maybe a week. If no improvement manifests, then something else must be going on.

If you have something to use for magnifying, you might find some tiny pesties by looking at the bottoms of leaves, the tips where new growth is or should be, and/or the area where leaves meet branch.

Looking again @ your pics, the mulch looks really dark. Is it bark/chopped wood, or something else? Is there landscape fabric under the mulch? Have you used any weed'n'feed stuff around your shrubs? Those kinds of products can affect trees and shrubs if used too closely.

It looks like your troubled shrubs are against a fence separating your property from several others. Have you noticed any neighbors on the other side spreading or spraying stuff on their lawns?

purpleinopp said: Happy to try to help you find clues for your investigation. : )

I appreciate all your help.

For the past 3 days or so I have been watering it more at night compared to the past. 1. Because it's super hot right now. 2. The amount I was watering hadn't changed in terms of the time since they were smaller, so they might need more than I was giving them. I of course get scared that I will drown them. I'm hoping that's all it is and I should see something soon. The more healthy plants seem to be in areas that the sprinklers hit more, but I am not certain.

I will try and see if there is something I can see under magnification on the leaves.

In regard to the mulch. I don't have anything, that is just black chipped rocks around back there. There is a fabric barrier underneath but it's been there for about 3 years and is pretty worn out so weeds get through these days. The barrier is up near the shrubs but not around the trunk part.

I haven't used any weed and feed back there. I have done some weed spraying but only in the main open part, anything near the plant I just pull by hand. The only fertilizer I used was those Miracle Grow/Jobe stakes at the start of spring.

I didn't think about the neighbor aspect. They do have plants/vegetation like vegetables etc there and they might have sprayed something. I don't know that but would have to ask I guess.

I don't know that I've answered any questions, but happy to give you more questions to ask yourself.

If there are some spots where you can peek under the landscape fabric to see if water is penetrating well, that could give you more info to work with. Although they are not plants I know well, the pattern of weirdness is not similar to other plants responses to thirst, that I've seen. So although I don't know what the issue is, I'm leaning away from mere thirst being the primary issue for that reason. Thirst can compound any other problem a plant might be having, so I think it's worth investigating too, but not as the only thing, for whatever the opinion of someone who doesn't know what's going on is worth.

LOL! Best luck. : )

purpleinopp said: I don't know that I've answered any questions, but happy to give you more questions to ask yourself.

If there are some spots where you can peek under the landscape fabric to see if water is penetrating well, that could give you more info to work with. Although they are not plants I know well, the pattern of weirdness is not similar to other plants responses to thirst, that I've seen. So although I don't know what the issue is, I'm leaning away from mere thirst being the primary issue for that reason. Thirst can compound any other problem a plant might be having, so I think it's worth investigating too, but not as the only thing, for whatever the opinion of someone who doesn't know what's going on is worth.

LOL! Best luck. : )

Thanks for all the support. Hoping someone has seen this before and has some insight lol. If not I'm just praying to the shrub gods at this point.

I still think they are infected by scale. What are all the white dots on the bark? Have you tried scraping some off? I have grown Ligustrum in the past, and I don't remember it looking like that.

porkpal said: I still think they are infected by scale. What are all the white dots on the bark? Have you tried scraping some off? I have grown Ligustrum in the past, and I don't remember it looking like that.

Here are some more pictures. This larger one has the same spots but hasn't had any issues and is growing. It also has the little nodules where new growth was coming. I broke off a piece of a nodule and it's green inside as you can see.

The white dots scrape off and nothing moving around in terms of pests on there. I checked out my neighbors through the fence and his had the same thing but looks okay. I'm going to check a few others that have it on the exterior of their homes and see if they have it to.

I'm wondering if me pruning them this late was not a good idea because it's so hot that it's killing off the sprouts in those area and leaving those nodes behind. But then I try and think back and don't ever remember this type of growth pattern.

So using that one picture of the nodes. I used google lens and it looks like it could be a number of things but it most resembles Galls or witches broom on plants. Finding this out it lead me down searching and found a website that said it isn't those.

And the expert is saying it is scale infection as you had mentioned attacking all the new growth. The nodes seem to be a defense to it.

Then another site said the white dots are not a scale issue but Lenticels which are openings or pores on a plant that helps with gas exchange.

Feel like i'm lost lol, but maybe a good oil for pest is a start if there is anything.

Says to use horticultural oil or dormant oil to try and wipe them out. Ever dealt with that before?

Wow! Such a confusion of results. Where are our experts ?
@ViburnumValley
@Silversurfer

Well, I don't know about expert at Privet problems in The Lone Star State, but I can abide a little Friendship in helping sort out a problem.

I will thank our friend Stack24 for posting a lot of good pictures and closeups - without having to be asked more than once! Subsequently, chasing down a lot of leads online is additional going above/beyond. How do you say "Kudos" in Texan?

I will ask Stack24 (and others here) that when you look up and find online stuff, go ahead and post that link with your commentary about it. It saves others lots of time if they wish to review it, and assist you in finding a solution. You could still go back and edit your previous posts, inserting these links - or post it in a followup here referencing what you found or didn't find useful.

I would also ask Stack24 to identify which species of Privet (Ligustrum sp.) that these are, since you can grow a lot of different ones in Houston. It may not matter to this particular pest, but it could help eliminate some of the possibilities. Since you know the person that grew them, this shouldn't be hard to nail down.

The previous posts are hitting on a lot of the insults that afflict landscape plants. Those are all good issues to review, research, inspect, and/or rule out if they don't apply this time. One of the best - and which should always be asked - is the quality of the plant at procurement and the method of installation. One might identify a pest, kill/resolve that problem, and go on to continue to have poor plant performance because of the inherently cultural problem of underground circling roots or buried basal flare. Similarly, eliminate off-site sources of problems - like neighbors spraying/applying things, excessive runoff from elsewhere, or handyman dumping cleaners/chemicals in the landscape bed.

The congregation/eruption of all those buds (little nodules) at the leaf nodes are - to me - indication of witches' brooming (many growing points very close together) but without stem growth or leaves. That points me squarely toward suspicion of a Mite Infestation. Mites (little arachnid b@st@rds) do their nefarious thing almost completely hidden - because they are mites, tiny, going generally unseen.

Here are some links I found:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/p...
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/p...

A category of these devils called Eriophyid Mites can cause Witches' Brooms. Anyone who gardens where Hackberry (Celtis spp.) grows knows exactly what this term means - I'm e-looking directly at porkpal - except what is obvious with Hackberry is the dense proliferation of short stems that sprout from a common point. That hasn't happened with the Privet here.

These mites also cause curling of leaves; death/prematurely dropped leaves; stippling of leaves; and lots of other lousy landscape effects. They can have so many generations in a growing season, you will not believe it when you read it - though not nearly as many as the philanderingly fecund Spider Mites (who bust out 18-36).

So, toward a solution. FIRST: take some samples of your Privet to your county's Cooperative Extension Service for plant pathogen diagnostic examination. If one of your plants is so far gone that you don't think it is recoverable, you could extract and take the whole plant to the CES and let them collect specimens/parts as they wish for examination. If you have a hand lens, or stronger magnification, take a look at leaves (top and bottom) and see if you can spot some of these miniscule insidious fiends.

SECOND: I would suggest Stack24 lean in the direction mentioned: a horticultural oil or other less toxic approach, but aimed at nullifying mite activity. It usually takes a different category of pesticide to affect mites (miticides) than what works on other insects - because they are quite different organisms. I used to chuckle at a long-ago colleague's opinion that gardeners were actually FEEDING mites when they'd uselessly flail about with run-of-the-mill insecticides, because they were killing off competitive pests AND all the predatory beneficials which would slow down the mites.

I wish I personally had pictures of mites, but alas, I've never had that good of equipment to take that kind of excruciatingly clear closeups. I'd recommend as stimulating reading the exceptional tome Insects That Feed On Trees And Shrubs by Warren T. Johnson and Howard H. Lyon (I have the 2nd Edition, since the late 1980s), where you can see and read about the predations of more insects/pests than you ever imagined existed in your worst landscape nightmares.