Leaf curling into a tube on photinia shrubs (lawn, landscape, bugs)

[CptnRn]

I have had photinia shrubs for years and never seen this before. The leaves are curling into a tube, the long dimension of the tube is parrallel to the central stem, and the leaf is still green. We are in a the second year of a bad drought here, but I'm watering the lawn areas these are in enough to keep the St. Augustine grass green and to keep the Asiatic Jasmine around the photinias from wilting.

I had two photinias die in the last couple of weeks, turned completely brown. I thought I was watering enough, so I'm wondering if these deaths and the leaf curl is some kind of disease or is it from the drought.

This leaf curl is not the distorted kind of look you see in other web site descriptions of something called "leaf curl" such as this illustration.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/p...0051226367.jpg

Any thoughts on this will be welcomed.

[sienna]

Could be Leaf Rollers. Some moths lay their eggs like that. Did you unroll one and look inside ?

When I see them I just squish the tube between finger & thumb .............. That takes care of them right off with no noxious chemicals or expense.
HTH,
S

[paperhouse]

photinias are notorious for fungus problems. Many in the South have already died from it. If the leaves just curled up and the bushes died, I would suspect a root problem. Take some affected leaves to the county Ag center and have an agent look at them. That's really the only way to diagnose the problem and perhaps fix it before you lose others. Treating an ailing plant for something it "might" have is not helping the plant.

If your other plants in the area are doing okay, it still might not be getting enough water. Again, the ag agent should be able to help you.

[Okiegirlfriend]

I was thinking bugs too.

[no kudzu]

When we moved to Atlanta in 1979 you could see red tips (photinia) everywhere. Thery were very popular and way over planted. Slowly they died out and now you would be hard pressed to see any in Atlanta, either in landscapes or nurseries. I don't think they are asked for or recommended anymore in the south at all. I'm surprised your red tips arew stillo aliver with the terrible weather conditions there. Unless you have alot more and it would ruin your landscape I would start replacing them and not try to keep them going.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by sienna

Could be Leaf Rollers. Some moths lay their eggs like that. Did you unroll one and look inside ?

When I see them I just squish the tube between finger & thumb .............. That takes care of them right off with no noxious chemicals or expense.
HTH,
S

I did unroll one and didn't see anything, I will check a few more.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm done overwatering stuff to try and keep it alive, if its not drought tolerant, its going to be replaced with something that is.

[paperhouse]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I did unroll one and didn't see anything, I will check a few more.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm done overwatering stuff to try and keep it alive, if its not drought tolerant, its going to be replaced with something that is.

A good replacement is cleyera. It needs a little more shade than photinia, but the red new growth looks about the same. Shiny leaves too.

[beachmel]

I know that you said you unrolled a leaf and couldn't see a bug, but you might want to try poking holes in the soil around the bush and applying some systemic rose/shrub - fertilizer/insecticide. I have had to deal with leaf rollers for the last 4 years out here on the West Coast and the little buggers do a fabulous job of destroying the leaves of my Rhodies and lilacs.

[CptnRn]

Thank you all for your replies. After taking another look at the leaves it does look like it could be leaf curl. Some of the leaves have the slightly distorted look to them and there is some kind of black mold or dust in places on the leaves. I'm going to try something recommended for leaf curl and see if that helps.