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Photinia problem

#1 · 30th January 2023, 11:35 am

Hi all. Can anyone tell me what is eating away at my Photinia leaves please. Is it frost damage, or is something nibbling at it and how do I prevent further damage? It is in a large pot on the pavers if my courtyard garden normally, but at the moment, it's up against the house wall for protection.

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#2 · 30th January 2023, 12:19 pm

Hi @my-tiny-garden

Good to hear from you. Photinias are usually pretty much bullet proof peat free plants

On first inspection it looks like either a caterpillar or leaf miner. However, when I look closer the brown crispy leaf makes me think it’s frost damage. Ie water has pooled frozen and then defrosted killing that part of the plant. Then with some cold wind it’s crisped up.

If it were leaf miners or caterpillars I’d expect other leaves to suffer too. They tend to emerge en masse after being laid on the leaf the previous year.

Cut the leaf off back to the stem. It won’t recover. Then if it is a sole leaf miner you will take them off with it!

Hope that helps

Lee

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#3 · 30th January 2023, 7:21 pm

Thanks Lee.

On closer inspection, the rest of the leaves look to be ok, so perhaps the frost got to this one unlucky leaf! I'll take it off anyway and see how we get on as the season progresses.