Photinia Hedge

Q: Hi Ken and friends, I have a Red Robin Hedge outside the front of my home, It was there when I moved in, I have been here about 11 years.  About a month ago I noticed that some of the leaves on the sides and top are wilting. The rest of it is beautiful. The hedge is about 30 foot in length, it is only the first 4 foot of it that is a problem at the moment. I live in Chelmsford Essex. I would be grateful if you could tell me is this a decease or is it just the cold winter we have had, and what can I do to put it back to good
health. Thanking you, Rose

A: What you are describing sounds a bit like Honey Fungus, which is not that usual with Photinia.  Dig into the soil about 7/9 inches and see when carefully digging if there are any black bootlace looking streams, these are the telltale signs. Sadly no cure and it will move through host plants.  So now I’ve mentioned the worst possibility, here are some suggestions of other problems.  Try this first – it could just be the fact of two harsh winters so start giving your plant a dose of a foliar feed like Maxicrop all over the foliage as a tonic (not in Sunlight though as you will scorch the foliage).  Do this every two weeks and watch for good results .
If not take some pics and e.mail them across to us and we will then have another look at your problem. Hope this helps, Ken C