Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Diseases

Holly Bush Sooty Mold and Scale/Aphid Infestation

Two nearby holly bushes show white spots (mold-like) and lower branches turning dark green to black.

Diagnosis

Black coating is sooty mold on honeydew from aphids or scale. Test: sticky leaves? White spots move (aphids) or fixed (scale).

Treatment

Aphids: Orthene spray on both leaf sides and stems. Scale: Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control soil drench (systemic, season-long). Bayer also works on aphids if avoiding sprays. Control insects and sooty mold disappears.

Plant Diseases: Cottony Camellia Scale on Holly: Fall Treatment Window; Holly Bush Decline Linked to Poor Drainage and Excess Water; Holly Leaf Blight and Sooty Mold: Insect-Driven Problems; Managing Tar Spot and Scale on Holly Bushes; Blue Princess Holly Scale: Horticultural Oil or Sevin, Plus Fertilizer; Holly Leafminer Infestation: Systemic Insecticide and Fertilization; Holly Black Leaves: Sooty Mold from Scale or Aphids; Holly Hedge Sooty Mold: Aphids on North Side; Holly Bush Covered in Yellow "Flowers" in May: It's Pollen!; Holly Leaf Spot: Fungicide Too Late Now, Plan for Spring

Garden Articles

Variegated Holly Leaf Discoloration: Treating Fungal Leaf Spot

Magnolia Scale and Sooty Mold: Systemic Treatment

Variegated Holly Losing Lower Leaves: Scale and Chlorotic Shoots

Holly Scale Infestation: Black Soot, White Egg Sacs, and Oil Eradication

Black Sooty Mold on Holly: Health Risk and Treatment

Holly Scale Infestation: Oil or Systemic Insecticide

Diagnosing Holly Leaf Spots and Pruning Guidelines

Plants

Self‑Fertile Holly No Berries: Weather Stress or Thrips?

Holly Bush Winter Burn: Pruning, Watering, and Anti-Desiccant Prep

Black Sooty Mold on Holly: Control the Sucking Insects First

American Holly Yellowing and Black Spots: Fungal Disease Management

Sooty Mold and Scale on Holly: A Two-Step Treatment Plan

Black Spots on Outdoor Aloes: Likely Insects, Use Systemic Insecticide

Diagnosing and Treating Black Spot and Rose Midge on Your Yellow Rose Bush