Rosemary

Anyone out there any advice as to what's happening to my beautiful rosemarinus prostratus (you know, the low creeping kind of rosemary with beautiful blue flowers)? Have had five healthy plants in for three years and suddenly two of them are suffering badly from a sort of die-back. Those dying 'branches' start off by turning grey-brown at the tips and then the lurgy speads backwards to affect the whole branch, which ends up brown with the needle-leaves falling off. I have tried removing the dead branches, but it isn't stopping the spread. Is there a rosemary virus I don't know about please? Should I remove the whole two bushes to protect the, so far/ healthy plants? Thanks in advance for any help. Tesserae. :confused:

 

Hi Tesserae. The way you describe it sounds like a fungal infection, although my knowledge of these things is rather poor. Try this site for more ideas:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/popup.shtml

Best of luck.

 

I think it is that soil holds the answer. When plants croak one-by-one root disease is often involved. This is especially likely if the soil has been wet at any time. (Last summer?) When you look at the roots they tend to red-brown and have a cider smell if root disease is present, but it is hard to be sure. Don't plant rosemary on the same spot without changing the soil and in fact try and grow something quite different such as grasses or bamboos that suffer from completely different ailments.

If the roots are dead foliage will yellow, brown, dry up and fall.

On the other hand rosemary can die quite young if the site is not ideal and it can get quite resentful if heavily pruned and die just to show its vexation.

In case it is fungal then dig up the two plants and burn them. Rosemary fungus is air-born and will get to the others.

 

tesserae try lifting and rinse the roots with water and plant in new compost in pots its worth a go good luck

 

In case it is fungal (my main diagnosis may be wrong) if you are going to try high kype's 'desperation' (not meant as offensive I mean your desperation not HK's) tactics move them well away from the other plants. AS I said it is air born. Personally I would burn them and take spur cuttings in August from the healthy plants. A couple of years and you have healthy plants again.

 

Welcome Tesserae.

Afraid I am a herb numpty, all mine seem to go incredibly woody or rot away!

But I would like to say welcome to the forum and hope you have many happy hours here!

Kath

 

Welcome to g c Tesserae.

 

Hey this is happening to mine! 2 thirds have died off and the rest just seems to be holding on. It was very healthy up until about 2 months ago then it suddenly went. It is not the prostrate form though. I was blaming the cat for spraying it

 

Thanks to all you good souls for your advice and help. I was especially interested that The Lost Antheus is also having die-back problems with rosemary. I guess I shall take Sarraceniac's suggestion of digging up the offending bushes and trying something else in their place. Talk to you all again soon.
Tesserae.