Question

Lavendar Twist   I planted this old Redbud 3 years ago in East Texas, zone 8. It is in a raised bed, gets morning sun & filtered afternoon sun. Each year the leaves have brown, drying edges & some yellowing as shown in the photo. I don't see any insects. It definately needs help...but I don't have a clue what to do for it. Would appreciate any suggestions you may have.  Thank you.

Answer
Dear Priscilla, I also live in East Texas, so I am very familiar with redbuds.  Fortunately, there are only a few diseases that redbuds will get.  One is canker, one is verticillum wilt, and the other is leaf spot, which is what you have.  Fortunately, this won't kill the plant, but it is unsightly and redbud leaves should be much prettier than that.  The best way to fix this problem is to spray with a copper fungicide, (Lowe's, Home Depot, feed store, or your local nursery will have this) and spray 14 to 20 days later.  Since this is a fungal disease, clean up and remove leaves as they fall.  Then in the spring right after the flowers have come out and are almost spent but just before the tree really leafs out, spray again with the copper fungicide. (That way you don't spray the flowers when they are pretty.) You should have much better looking leaves next year, but I might add a few applications later in the year just to be sure.  We have very high humidity in this part of Texas and that will increase any fungal disease.  This should fix the problem.  Good luck, Melissa