Not sure if this is dieback disease or something different

[farmer d]

I wanted to show this one since it is situated at the top of the stem of this branch.  Look at the strange bumps below the dead area.

I was guessing dieback disease as I have had it this winter on 4 different plants but nothing that can't be easily fixed.

Hate to cut off the top of a leading growth branch but....any thoughts?

Farmer D

[Darkhorse]

I say off with his head!  


I would normally think that the white bumps were going to turn into bark, but it doesn't look like it here (to me at least).  Maybe it's fungal?

[Charlie]

The white bumps are normal for hibiscus, some varieties show it more often than others.

There are 2 ways to go with the dead tip. You can either cut if off now, or wait til spring. Sometimes the plant seems to manage the bad area by walling it off right above a node. No further dieback occurs. I personally don't like to trust that this will happen and go ahead and cut off the dead area to prevent spreading. The question then is where to cut. If you cut at the node just beneath the rotten area you might get a limited stimulation of that stem and only one node will sprout a new stem. If you cut it lower you are more likely to get a better result in terms of stimulating more branches. This same argument holds true for whether to cut the bad area off now or wait until early summer. Now the new growth will be very limited while later it will be more substantial. Still, I hate looking at the dieback and usually cut if off.

Charlie