Dying Photinia Red Robin?

I have a large standard Photinia Red Robin which is approximately 15 feet high - in essence a small tree. It didn't do particularly well last year, but this year it appears to be dying. The leaves are hanging limply, have gone crisp and they are more brown than green. It looks awful. There is another smaller one close by which is doing brilliantly and has lots of shiny green and red leaves, as it should. In comparison, the tree is dreadful. There do appear to be growth tips but I'm not sure if they are still growing or not.

I'm desperate to save it - any ideas please?

Thank you

 

I don't have knowledge about that, but if you upload a photo, others will give you ideas

 

Your question is difficult to answer without more information. Tracy is correct that a photo will help. One issue may be if you have clay soil as they hate clay. Have you ever pruned? Is there other plants nearby in competition with it for nutrients etc? If it was simple leaf drop it could be the damp weather. Give us some more details and pictures too.

 

Snap Sandpiper, We had a large Photinia Red Robin here when we moved to my current home. It was about the same size as yours. After a couple of years I noticed many of the leaves had spots on them and the whole tree looked pretty sick. I decided to hard prune it to see if things improved, also gave it a hefty dose of manure. They did for a while and the shrub responded quite well to pruning. Then we had a humdinger of a winter and it never really recovered. Photinia isn't the hardiest. I decided that the shrub really wasn't worth the space it was taking up and dug it out. It could be that yours like mine was very old? and passed it's sell by date. The brown leaves will have been caused by cold weather I expect. It will drop these and should the produce new ones It may respond as mine did to being hard pruned and being fed but I would n't be too hopeful. Sorry not to be more positive. I'm not unconvinced that the breeders have slightly altered the shrub as I see lots around here which seem to withstand the cold much better than in the past. I seldom see any old shrubs, maybe they just aren't that long lived?

 

Hope this photo can assist with diagnosis! I'll post a close up too. Thanks

 

This shows the leaves close up. I'm fearing the worst now as no signs of new shoots.

 

Hi Gwen - I've posted a couple of photos. The soil is clay but it's patchy and we think professionally planted out initially as there are pockets of sand surrounding the shrubs etc. The whole area has the same soil and there are lots of Photinias in neighbours' gardens which are thriving and I have another one which is really lush at the moment. It has been pruned a little about 2 years ago, but not radically, just to keep the shape. It hasn't really competition from other shrubs, but has a massive mature tree just 7 metres away and lies in its shadow to some extent. Thanks

 

I thought I'd leave the trunk as a stake for the next one!

 

It will be a different plant altogether - so fingers crossed

 

Did this tree ever recover?

I have a very similar situation, one has died, 2 more going the same way.

How long had yours been planted for out of interest, and had it always struggled?

 

I'm fearing the worst now as no signs of new shoots.