What is happening to the leaves of my skimmia japonica?

Question

The leaves look to have been eaten by insects but I am not sure. We keep the soil moist and keep the plant in the shade but it keeps getting these holes. We are not fertilizing the plant yet. The weather has been cloudy with periods of rain. We have sticks on the bed of the soil to stop insects getting on the plant and I periodically check to see if there are snails but I haven’t seen any. How do I stop this from happening?

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Answer 1

It looks as though your skimmia may have spider mites. I would cut out and dispose of the diseased leaves right away and hose off the plant. Here is more:

https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com/tag/skimmia-plants/

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/spider-mite-control.htm