Question
my outdoor ficus hedge is losing its leaves. there are white halo like lesions on them and I believe they are the earmark of fungus.. how do i treat the plant and bring it back to new growth and health... it is spring in florida and they should be proliferating..

Answer
Mark,

Since it is outdoors I would go to the nearst garden center and discuss fungicides with the manager. Remember these are chemicals and you should follow the instructions and protect yourself when applying. If you prefer not to use chemicals, the only thing I Know of that has been successfull twice a week sprayings of 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a gallon of water.  Indoors I have also been successful using generic Lysol type spray twice a week to get rid o fungal infections. Outdoors the Lysol could get rather expensive. I now that the baking soda treatment has been successfully used for blackspot on roses outdoors. It seems fungus like an acidic environment and the baing soda spray creates an alkaline environment that kills the fungus. Good luck.

Darlene