If the photiniae suddenly no longer looks good, it may be due to a pest or a disease. Then it is important to act quickly to save the plant.
In addition to frost damage, which leads to brown spots on the leaves of the medlar, the plant can also develop diseases. But pests are also not unknown in principle. If your medlar in the garden looks sickly or has changed leaves, then it is high time that you act. After all, you don't want your photiniae to perish from the disease or pest.
These diseases can occur
Two diseases are particularly common in the photinia.
A fungus that damages the leaf structure is responsible for the diseases:
» apple scab:
This fungal disease causes gray spots to form on the leaves. Apple scab spreads relatively quickly, so you need to act quickly. Cut off the affected parts of the plant completely. Don't put them in the compost, but burn them. Otherwise the apple scab could spread in the garden. Alternatively, you can also dispose of the plant parts with household waste. Then you should spray the plant with a spray containing copper (e.g. available here). Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
» Leaf tan:
If the medlar is affected by leaf tan, black and red spots form on the leaves. You should then cut off the leaves as a precaution, unless you are sure whether the spots are actually rather brownish. Because the medlar can also be attacked by a pest that leads to brown spots. To combat the fungus, spray the plant again with an agent containing copper sulfate.
» Frost damage:
This is not a disease in its own right, but it still causes brown spots on the leaves. To remedy this, you only have to ensure the water supply in winter and water the plant regularly. Reading tip: Caring for photinia properly.
Pests on the photinia
Parasites toocan affect the photinia. Some of them can be treated with home remedies. Alternatively, there are also numerous pesticides on the market to buy.
» Aphids:
Aphids usually settle on young shoots and their leaves. Since the lice do not settle, you can try to remove them with a sharp jet of water as a first step. Alternatively, agents based on soap and rapeseed oil can help. The preparations do not harm beneficial organisms. You can even make such a preparation yourself. Simply add a little washing-up liquid and some rapeseed oil to ten liters of water and spray the photiniae generously with it.
If you want to avoid aphid infestation in advance, you can regularly spray the medlar with a decoction of stinging nettles (instructions here).
» Vine Weevil:
Feeding damage to the leaves indicates the vine weevil. You can also recognize the infestation of larvae, which lead to damage to the root collar. Collect the bugs as quickly as possible. Nematodes, a substrate that you have to add to the irrigation water, kills the larvae. For example, it is available here.
That's why the leaves can fall off
If your photinia primarily loses leaves, this indicates incorrect watering behavior or incorrect soil conditions. Check whether the soil is too wet or whether waterlogging has formed. In this case, you should mix the soil with humus to absorb the excess moisture. On the other hand, if the soil is dry, leaf loss also occurs.