maybe nematodes... but i think it looks more like burn ..

i see the common weep hose.. any chance that this plant is at the far end ?? .. perhaps not getting as much water as other plants ...

but then i wonder... if you are dripping water ... why your plant doesnt seem to have any hint of blue wax .. then i wonder how much sun it is in ... which would complicate the water pressure issue ...

i also SEE ... that its all the older leaves... not the current fresh growth ... so perhaps there was some superficial cold damage.. that didnt really show up until the heat of summer hit ...

also ... i had about 6 weeks of drought.. before it started raining 10 days ago ... and it was hot during that time... has ambient weather been conducive to problems since spring ... any anomalies???

and you thought there would be an easy answer... lol...

ken

Easy answer is it looks dried out.

I just planted it this spring and it's never really in what I would call full sun - although not in complete shade either. I haven't used the drip hose this season. It's planted next to a new Guacamole which is doing beautifully so I don't think the rustiness is do to dryness. I don't know what nematodes or blue wax is....I'm feeling dumb right now!

It looks like cold damage to me. I have something that looks like that on Guacamole and Birchwood Parky's Gold.

bk

if just planted this spring.. then it probably doesnt have an established root mass capable of pumping enough water ...

so.. its probably lack of proper deep watering ...

i tend to not describe the browning as rust.. as rust is a specific disease ...

again.. i note.. the newer leaves... extended after the plant settled in.. look fine ... the older leaves were damaged .. due to water management ... during the transplanting ...

nothing to do here.. except perfect water

frankly.. if you cut off the 2 worst leaves... the plant will look 99% better... and you can just move on to giving it a little more water ... maybe the 3rd hidden down in there ... no loss to the plant.. since its putting out a new flush ....

ken

ps: could have been cold damage... but then i presume she wouldnt have bought it ... but who knows ... its kinda that time of year were we have to morph from cold damage.. to heat damage ... or lack of watering ...

Cold damage sometimes shows a couple of weeks later. But mine may be water, too. Since it showed up here in early spring, I assumed it was cold damage.

bk