Question
A month ago I planted a chitalpa in New Mexico.  It was doing fine until a couple of days ago.  Now brown spots and yellowing leaves are all over.  Could this be a fungus?  Or do I need to alter the mineral content of my soil since my soil is very alkaline?  Or something else?  I will email you a pix called helpme.pix

Thank you for your help.

Answer
Hi Budd,

Brown spots and chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves) are both symptoms of nutrient deficiencies (calcium and iron). Many of the micronutrients are unavailable at high pH (alkaline). Check with your local garden center for help in determining what amendments you might need to add to acidify your soil.  Some of the common treatments to acidify the soil are applications of aluminum sulfate or sulfur buds.  There are also water soluble products (Miracid) which also can be used to reduce the soil pH temporarily.