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redshirtcat

Lady in Red - spots and 'burned' leaf margins/bases

redshirtcat
12 years ago

My father has a 'Lady in Red' that has what looks like burned leaf edges on the newest growth. This is only on the 1st and 2nd set of leaves down from the growth tips. Most of the damage isn't actually at the tip of the leaves but it is at the leaf margins and usually at the base of the leaf.

He claims he hasn't used an fertilizer and says it can't be fertilizer burn. That was my first thought. Does this look like fertilizer burn to you? Or is it something else? It's possible his lawn-care people hit it with some fertilizer by accident.

Or maybe heat related damage? This hydrangea is in the ground next to quite a few others that don't show this damage. Interestingly there is another 'Lady in Red' nearby that DOES have similar damage. It's a good 12 feet away though so I don't see how the lawn guys could have hit them both with fertilizer (the 2nd one is very far back in the bed). This gets filtered sun all day except for maybe 2 hours in the morning. It's a very large plant and looks very healthy except for the newest growth. It has not flowered this season. Other varieties of hydrangeas nearby are in full bloom and look very healthy with no leaf damage.

Maybe this is a common hydrangea disease or something specific to the way Lady in Red grows? I'm clueless when it comes to these. Any help would be appreciated.

Leaf damage on nearly every branch near the growth tips:

Damage at the base of the leaf

Underside of the damage:

Top of the same leaf: