If the photiniae develops brown spots on the leaves, this can have several causes. For example, parasites, the so-called leaf tan or frost damage can be to blame.
Brown spots are not uncommon in the medlar. They always point out grievances on an evergreen plant like the photinia. The spots are often caused by frost damage or clearly indicate a parasite infestation. No matter what is causing the spots to appear, you must always act quickly to avoid major damage to the photinia.
Brown spots from frost damage
The frost damage occurs when the plant is exposed to the winter sun but the ground has been deeply frozen for several days. The plant then loses moisture through the sun, which it can no longer absorb through the soil.
➜ Combat:
The aim here is to nip the cause in the bud as far as possible. If the winter weather is extremely dry, you should water the soil around the medlar so that it has enough water available.
However, since parasites can also be responsible for brown spots on the leaves, you should first remove the damaged leaves and dispose of them in the household waste.
Brown spots caused by parasites
While frost damage is annoying but easy to fix, parasitic infestations such as vine weevil or aphids need serious combat.
➜ Combat:
As already mentioned, the leaves that show signs of damage are always discarded first. If the spots already affect the leaves of an entire shoot, remove the plant part if possible. The photiniae will not be damaged if you cut back the plant so far that the cut goes into the old wood.
If large parts of the photinia are affected, you have to fight the parasites with a special agent from the specialist trade. Vine weevils, for example, are best combated with nematodes. Aphids, on the other hand, do very well with a mixture of water, soap and canola oil that you need to spray on the plant.
Reddishor black spots from leaf tan
Depending on the leaf color and the severity of the spots, it is difficult to determine the actual spot color. Therefore, in this article, we would also like to look at the black or reddish spots that indicate fungal infestation on the photinia and indicate leaf tanning.
➜ Combat:
You don't need to remove infested leaves, just to make sure there isn't a parasite infestation. On the other hand, an agent based on copper sulfate is suitable for combating the fungus. We recommend, for example, NEUDORFF Atempo Kupfer-fungusfrei.
You can prevent the so-called browning of the leaves and the resulting red or black discolouration on the leaves by strengthening the plant internally. Nettle manure, for example, works very well as a pesticide.
Reading tip:
Photinus: recognizing diseases and pests and combating them effectively