My red tip photinias have dark spots on leaves & look to be dying. Other shrubs next to them are fine.?
Question:These red tips are at least 5 years old and have always been very healthy. Help. I dont want to lose them. What do I need to do?
Answers:
This shrub is subject to entomosporium leaf spot, a fungus, which must be controlled or it will cause gradual thinning, defoliation, and death of the plant. Spray with fungicide at first sign of infestation and at 7-day intervals as long as signs of disease are present. Better yet, avoid planting this shrub in areas where it is affected. Because this devastating disease has become so widespread, some garden centers in affected parts of the southeastern United States are not selling this photinia.
If it is necessary to irrigate the plants, do not wet the foliage or irrigate in midday to reduce the period of time foliage remains wet. If possible, remove fallen diseased leaves. Do not water or fertilize plants any more than necessary to avoid promoting excess new growth. Also, reduce pruning during the summer which promotes continual new growth. Severely defoliated plants may need to be pruned heavily to have a small, easier to spray plant, to reduce the source of spores and improve air movement. It may be necessary to remove severely diseased plants that have also been damaged by cold injury and replace them with another plant species that is not susceptible to leaf spot.
Several fungicides may also be help in the management of leaf spot in the landscape.
Check to see how much water they are getting. It may be a minute too much. If you have the growth all the way down to the base of the plant, this may also be the problem.(no air) Cut away some of the plant at the bottom to allow some space. If your water has always been the same, maybe your plant just needed a trim.
Those dark spots are a fungus. Better spray with Daconil or other fungicide. If you have red tips, you have Black spot. Keep them pruned to allow more sunlight to reach the lower leaves.
Plants planted North to south do better with the black spot than ones East to West, the plants dry out on both sides better.
Good luck.
A well lit garden is right. I worked at a garden center for years and we did not sell red tips for they were a guarenteed return.
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