How to Treat Red Tip Photinia Leaf Spots

Prune the diseased leaves and branches from your red tip photinia on a dry, winter day. Shrubs in winter dormancy don't produce the new growth that attracts leaf spot fungus.

Remove the lower branches from all your photinias, including healthy ones. This lowers the humidity around their bases and protects their lower sections from spores splashing up from fallen plant debris.

Prune all damaged leaves and twigs from infested shrubs. Cut seriously damaged plants heavily back. This increases air circulation, limits the number of fungal spores they spread and have smaller, more easily treatable plants.

Removing the grass or vegetation beneath your photinias prevents spores from collecting there and splashing on to the plants. Leave the soil exposed or put down a mulch layer.

Place all diseased plant debris in plastic yard bags for disposal away from your site. The fungus-contaminated material doesn't belong in the compost bin.

Begin your annual fungicide spray regimen as soon as the shrubs leaf out in spring. Wear gloves, protective clothing, facemask and goggles while spraying. Apply the fungicide every 10 days in wet, cool conditions. Lengthen the intervals to two weeks if the weather warm and dry. Stop completely in mid-June. Resume as necessary from mid- to late autumn if rain returns.

Water photinias only when necessary. Irrigate them from underneath with the garden hose. Keep water off the leaves. Plants watered between late morning and early afternoon usually dry most rapidly.

Rake up and remove any leaves as soon as possible after they drop. Replenishing the mulch layer protects the plants from any spores that escape your cleaning.