Photinia Red Robin Leaf problem

Posts

• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  July 2023

  Can you give more info @stevehenderson34HpsbfI5c? Where and how you're growing them, general climate, age of plants etc.
  Also - a pic from further away - the whole plant. 
  
  In many areas they don't do terribly well - they need warmth and moisture, and a reasonably sheltered site to thrive. All evergreens drop foliage though. 

  It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
  
  
  
  I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...

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• stevehenderson34HpsbfI5c Posts: 3

  July 2023

  Fairygirl said:

  Can you give more info @stevehenderson34HpsbfI5c? Where and how you're growing them, general climate, age of plants etc.
  Also - a pic from further away - the whole plant. 
  
  In many areas they don't do terribly well - they need warmth and moisture, and a reasonably sheltered site to thrive. All evergreens drop foliage though. 

  I've had this one plant for a year or so (in Bedfordshire). SE facing garden. 
  
  
  

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• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  July 2023

  I think you'll need a much bigger pot to keep that happy. 
  Standards of that variety seem to be very popular, but they're a lot more work than when being used as hedging or a stand alone shrub. The soil mix has to be good, and fairly rich, and they also need decent drainage. It's also easy for anything potted, especially shrubs/trees, to dry out, so it's hard to get a good balance.  As it's on a hard surface, it's always a good idea to have pot feet to help excess water drain away. They can just be little timber offcuts or similar - it doesn't have to be those fancy ones you can buy. 
  
  If your garden's SE facing - that means it's facing west, or have I got that wrong? That would mean it's in the path of the prevailing weather most of the time. Wind can certainly affect foliage just as much as sun. It might be worth moving it to avoid too much sun if you're getting a lot of hot, dry weather, and into a sheltered spot for autumn/winter to avoid wind damage. 
  

  It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
  
  
  
  I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...

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• Obelixx Posts: 30,090

  July 2023 edited July 2023

  i suspect it's suffering from thirst and hunger.  Planting composts only have food for a max of 90 days and your plant is evergreen in mild winters so needs a lot of fertiliser to keep it going.   That means you need to top dress the compost every spring and apply liquid feeds in the growing season.
  
  I also agree with @Fairygirl that that pot is far too small so, if you can't plant it out in the ground, give it a bigger pot with decent compost and a mulch to reduce evaporation from the compost surface.

  Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
  

  "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."

  Plato
  

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• stevehenderson34HpsbfI5c Posts: 3

  July 2023

  Thank you @Obelixx and @Fairygirl !
  Your comments are welcomed. I’ll take it out of its pot and plant it with compost and keep an eye on it 👍🏻

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  July 2023 edited July 2023

  I would dig over the new site, working some (just a bit) well rotted farmyard manure into the whole area … then plant the tree. 

  
  

  Digging a hole then planting into compost may  create a sump and the tree roots will get too wet and may rot. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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