[medieval knievel]

i assume it's a glasnevin, but our CPP has been losing leaves slowly over the last year or two and is now almost completely bare - i've been chopping out branches as they die. it's up against a west-facing fence, all other plants around it are doing absolutely fine, so it probably isn't a fertility or watering issue.
are these known to succumb to disease? the leaves (where there are any) don't look too bad.

[GPI]

medieval knievel, If it isn't a water or fertility issue and all the other plants are fine then it could be Verticillium wilt which is known to affect solanum.
Along with the wilting you may find greenish-brown spots under the plants bark.
The disease is fungal, infecting throug the roots and spreading up the plant.
As is the case with most fungal diseases it affects plants in a weaker than normal state through lack of water, poor drainage, too much sun, too much fertilizer etc.

You can keep cutting out the dead areas and feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser to bring on more leafy growth if the plant is not to badly affected.
In a bad case you will have to dig the plant out and as much of the soil around its base as you can.
All saws, spades and other tools used in this process of removal should be washed afterwards and wiped down thoroughly with alcohol.
If you want to replant, you could use a pear tree (Verticillium wilt resistant) and grow it as an espalier on the wall/fence, as shown in this post...... http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about380.html


It would be great f you get a chance to post a pic or two of the affected plant and greenish-brown spots under the plants bark if visible.
We could then confirm it, and a visual record would be left for others in the same boat as yourself.

[medieval knievel]

[medieval knievel]

i scraped away some bark with my fingernail, saw no spots - but i may not have scraped all the way through the bark.

[GPI]

Some more Verticillium wilt symptoms to look for medieval knievel.

Verticillium wilt symptoms, photo / picture / image.

Verticillium wilt symptom Images courtesy
Joseph O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
William Jacobi, Colorado State University, United States
www.forestryimages.org

[Roger]

Hello,

i also have a Solanum Glasnevin and last year it looked like it was going to die... lost most of its leaves and losts of the side shoots were dying.

I realised that because i moved it to another spot (it was doing too well in its original spot and it was getting in the way...) and it was a quite drafty place, most of the lower branches seemed to die but the higher part of the shrub was doing fine as it had grown over my shed and was getting more sun and less wind than the lower part. So this may be why the branches in yours are dying (a drafty cold sunless spot!!)

As for the leaves falling, i realised that my issue was Woodlice!! Loads of them!
I went out one night with a torch after noticing a dramatic loss of leaves and there they were... The shrub completly covered with them munching away. Some plants around it don't seem to suffer but my Solanum Alba (white) is nearby also and got badly munched too.

So maybe you should go out one night with a torch and check if Woodlice haven't taken a liking to your Solanum too

[Sive]

My newly planted solanum looked as if it had died in the "summer"....and is now the picture of health without any interference.
I have grown solanums in my previous two gardens, and they seemed impossible to kill however hard they were pruned, so be patient and give them more time.

[Dr. Sunny Thomson]