Hi, Our contractor planted a beautiful 10' arbutus in our front yard over one year ago. It did well until the heavy southern california rains. Our soil isn't super well drained, but the surround grass beneath the tree isn't mushy or wet at all (once the rains stopped). I don't see any lesions/damage or bugs on the bark or leaves, but about 50% of the leaves are now bright yellow and it seems there are more yellow leaves every week. I've tried to search the internet to see what we can do, but I'm not sure of the cause yet. Any thoughts/info/referrals would be greatly appreciated. The contractor is now out of the picture ("it's been over one year"). It is such a beautiful tree! We are in Altadena (southern california) in a hilly area where oak trees flourish. Zip is 91001. thanks so much! kim
Arbutus 'Marina' should do well in So. California. I swa nice specimens in Disneyland this February, growing in the ticket booth area between the theme park and California Adventure. Arbutus resent being watered in the summer. Remove the turfgrass from beneath your tree to create a grass-free area (the bigger, the better). Mulch the area with leaves, pine needles, or bark. Do not irrigate the tree unless it is showing obvious symptoms of drought stress. Pehaps your tree was suffering from post-transplant shock. Has it recovered since then?
