My strawberry arbutus started to develop black spots on the leaves in December. Many (most) of the leaves are now covered in black spots. It’s a 3 year old tree that is about 5 feet and was beautiful with tons of blossoms this fall that fed the hummingbirds this winter. Last spring it had a few leaves with these spots and I picked them off and it was fine all summer. My question: Do you think this tree will survive? If I were to try to pick off all the black leaves the tree would be bare. Should I just leave it and hope for the best or is it done for? I’ve attached a picture of one of the leaves. Thanks
Arbutus menziesii (and Arctostaphylos columbiana, A. uva-ursi) is prone to blackening also. What they say about blackening of A. menziesii below is likely to apply to your situation as well. Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)-Leaf Spots and Blights | Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (pnwhandbooks.org)
Thanks for the article Ron. It sounds like I should just wait and see what happens. If the leaves drop hopefully new ones will grow.
