Why Are My Photinia Leaves Turning Off Color/ What Mulch To Use

Firstly, thank you for answering my question about my loropetalum plants. I also have these photinia shrubs and the older leaves on some of them are turning bright orange/red. This is not new growth, these are established leaves. What is going on with them? They are treated every 10 days with a rotational fungicide, planned in sandy loam on a small mound. I think it’s a deficiency of some kind, but not sure which one and don’t want to hurt anything. Would mulching help? If so, what kind of mulch do I use?(please be specific or link to specific products) do I compost? What type of compost? Cow manure? Organic stuffs? I’ve never used compost or mulch on anything before and there are so many options, it’s very confusing. Thank you so much for this page!

1 Comment (Open | Close)

1 Comment To "Why Are My Photinia Leaves Turning Off Color/ What Mulch To Use"

#1 Comment By BushDoctor On 05/23/2023 @ 10:57 am

Interesting coloration. They DO start out red, but should quickly go to green. That seems severe for a nitrogen deficiency, but testing the soil would reveal whether this was the case, or if it were something else. I'm wondering if the soil is not acidic enough. Testing these factors will reveal the issue, likely. If none of these are off, then I could suspect an overwatering issue.

These two articles will help with testing:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm ^[1]

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm ^[2]

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend specific products. This article can help you understand what more you will need, however:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/photinia/red-tip-photinia-fertilizer.htm ^[3]

This collection of articles will offer more information:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/photinia ^[4]

Article printed from Gardening Know How Questions & Answers: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com

URL to article: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com/why-are-my-photinia-leaves-turning-off-color-what-mulch-to-use/

URLs in this post:

[1] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm

[2] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm

[3] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/photinia/red-tip-photinia-fertilizer.htm: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/photinia/red-tip-photinia-fertilizer.htm

[4] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/photinia: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/photinia

Have any questions about this topic? Visit us at https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com to ask your questions and get friendly answers from gardening experts.

You can also find us at:
'Like' us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardeningknowhow
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gardenknowhow - @gardenknowhow
Follow us on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/gardenknowhow/