Fungus

Question

I have some ligustrum and red tip photinia shrubs that are at least 15 to 20 years old. Last year they caught a fungus and most of the leaves fell off. I used Martin’s Honor Guard and brought them back…a little. They are starting to show small new leaves on the outer surfaces but the core of the plant has no leaves; all you see are sticks. They stand about 45″ high. Should I pull them and start over or trim them down to 36″ or less and wait for nature or leave them alone and see what happens?

Answer 1

I would prune them back and let the new growth take over from there, though I wouldn't take more than a third of their growth.