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Questions & Answers
Photinia Dropping Leaves
Judy asks:
Question
We have planted 12 5ft tall photinias as a hedge autumn 2011 we have clay sol but dug out a trench about 4ft wide and long enough for the plants which we had filled with topsoil, the photinias were doing very well until about 3 weeks ago following the heavy rain now the leaves are drooping and falling the garden was water logged and where the trench was top soil it was really wet i think this may have been the problem is there anything we can do to save them.
Answer
Sounds like your photinia hedge is siting in water. The tench you have dug in the native clay soil is now acting like a bathtub holding water and causing an anaerobic environment (Environment lacking oxygen) unfortunately plant roots need oxygen as much as they need water. When anaerobic conditions persist for long periods of time leaves drop and roots begin to rot leaving the plants unable to perform their basic functions eventually leading to death if the conditions do not improve.
Your best bet to save your photinia hedge is to create a way to drain water away from the rootball. Cutting a smaller trench perpendicular to the planting trench (Leading to a lower location so water will drain away) and installing a french drain.
If there is no way to drain water away from the planting location you could pull the plants up and replant them on mounds to keep the majority roots above the water level.
Photinia are very hardy shrubs if you can correct the anaerobic conditions they will most likely recover with time assuming they are not too far gone.
Hope this helps, happy gardening!
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