Month-by-month lists of common plant diseases, pests, and other problems you may encounter in North Carolina yards and gardens.
Back to BOLO list of months.Turfgrasses
Fairy ring (all turfgrasses)
Large patch (bermudagrass/zoysiagrass/centipedegrass/St. Augustinegrass)
Leaf spot caused by Bipolaris/Drechslera (bluegrasses/bermudagrass)
Microdochium patch (Kentucky bluegrass/bermudagrass)
Red thread (Kentucky bluegrass/fescue/ryegrass)
Rust (Kentucky bluegrass/fescue/St. Augustinegrass/zoysiagrass)
Yellow patch (fescue/Kentucky bluegrass/ryegrass)Woody Ornamentals
Multiple hosts: Phytophthora root rot, Armillaria root rot (may still produce mushrooms early in the month), Botryosphaeria dieback, sooty mold, conks of wood decay fungi such as Pseudoinonotus dryadeus, improper planting
Multiple shrub species: root-knot nematodes
Arborvitae: Phytophthora root rot, Armillaria root rot
Azalea: Phytophthora root rot, Armillaria root rot, Phomopsis dieback, stunt nematode
Boxwood: Phytophthora root rot, boxwood blight, boxwood stem canker (Colletotrichum theobromicola), nematodes (lesion, root-knot, spiral)
Cherry-laurel: shot-hole
English Ivy: anthracnose, bacterial leaf spot, Phytophthora root rot
Indian hawthorn: Entomosporium leaf spot
Japanese black pine: pine wilt nematode
Japanese holly: black root rot, Armillaria root rot
Junipers: Phytophthora root rot (except Eastern red cedar), Armillaria root rot
Leyland cypress: cypress (Seiridium) canker, Botryosphaeria canker/dieback
Ligustrum (privet): Cercospora (Pseudocercospora) leaf spot
Loropetalum: bacterial gall (knot), Cercospora (Pseudocercospora) leaf spot
Maple: mistletoe-associated swellings on branches and trunks
Magnolia, Southern: algal leaf spot
Oaks: Biscogniauxia canker
Red-tip photinia: Entomosporium leaf spot
Rose: Armillaria root rot, crown gall, black spot, Cercospora (Rosisphaerella) leaf spot, rose rosette
Spruce: Rhizosphaera needle cast
Willow: Pseudocercospora leaf spotHerbaceous Ornamentals (Perennials, Bedding Plants)
Multiple species: frost damage
Liriope: anthracnose on leaf tips, Fusarium crown rot
Pansy/viola: Phytophthora root and crown rot, black root rot, Pythium root rotFruits & Nuts:
Pecan: scab
Vegetables & Herbs
Multiple species: frost damage, nutrient deficiencyCole crops: black rot, white leaf spot of turnip and Swiss chard, downy mildew, Alternaria leaf spot
Arthropods Associated with Multiple Plants
Fall cankerworms (adults)
Bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis; bags often containing eggs)
