Photinia, also call Red tip photinia, Photinia x fraseri and other Photinia species along with Indian hawthorn are commonly damaged by Entomosporium disease, a common fungal leaf spot. There have been some new varieties of disease resistant Photinias developed in the last few years, but even these varieties are not 100% free of being susceptible to the disease. Photinias were once planted in great numbers to be used as tall screens. They thrive in most soils and prefer full sun or partial shade. They are evergreen and colorful. The new growth comes out red, then after a few weeks will turn green. In recent years the over planting of the shrubs has made it more and more susceptible to disease. Sometimes only the new leaves and older leaves are affected. Research has shown that the more the shrubs are pruned, the worse the disease spreads, further damaging the plants. Other hosts of Entomosporium disease are loquat, flowering and fruiting pear, firethorn, hawthorn, Juneberry, mountain ash, and quince. Entomosporium leaf spot is most damaging to plants in home landscapes and nurseries following periods of frequent rainfall in the spring and fall. Every time a plant with this disease is pruned, the disease can be spread plant to plant and landscape to landscape. After treatments, once the plants have produced a healthy canopy of leaves, good sanitation and preventive fungicide sprays should keep the disease in check.
Photinia Shrubs and Entomosporium Disease
The homeowner should clean up any fallen leaves and keep area clean to prevent reinfection. Pruning spreads disease and amount of pruning is directly related so the amount of disease, the more it is pruned, the more disease. If you need to prune, prune only in the winter. Any pruning that is done should be done with hand shears that have been dipped in 10% clorox solution between each cut. Rake up and discard fallen leaves, and remove infected plant material. Apply fresh mulch around plants to cover any leaves that were missed. These practices reduce the amount of fungus present in the spring, resulting in less infection. To clean up the Entomosporium leaf spot on your Photinias, it will take an intensive every 3 weeks spray schedule through the summer until the disease is eliminated or reduced to a small percentage.
