I got the results back and everything was negative. But, the person who did the testing assumed that I sent in the avocado tree because of the "red leaves" I never said anything to them about the red on the leaves. The scientist or whoever was analyzing my samples basically over looked everything I wrote in my comment section and addressed something that I never even thought of or asked them about. They sent me back a letter stating that all my samples were "negative of any disease pathogens" but gave no further explanation of what the lesions were or what the black spots/lesion were on my mandarin. The only thing they said was "red growth on avocado is not indicative of a disease. It is indicative of new growth". And I never said anything about the red leaves. I knew they were new growth. Ive been living with this tree for 30 year! Lol But it made me think that if they assumed I thought the red leaves was the disease that they ignored all my other questions so now I dont even know if they actually looked for disease or not. I thought scientists were not supposed to assume things? I found it odd that they would write a paragraph in regards to something that I never even brought up or had an issue with but then IGNORED all my other questions about actual visual blemishes on my leaves and small fruit. EDIT: I just got off the phone with the person who tested and he assured me there are no disease pathogens on any of the samples that I sent him. He was actually very friendly and went into detail about how he examined everything. Basically I applied copper and oil on my tree as the new growth was emerging and things went BAD. The damage highly resembles shot hole/leaf scorch. But if this guy is wrong and in 5 years from now things keep getting worse. Ill be a little upset..lol

I have been very successful in reposturing plants by transplanting them. Granted, if you correct it and not change anything else that is affecting the growth, it may simply grow in the same pattern but that may take quite a while with some plants. If you turn it 180 degrees around, then the old growth will be pointed out the opposite side and the direction in which it was growing will get new growth and balance the plant eventually. I had a Tinkerbell lilac that was growing strongly on an angle reaching for sunlight from shade. After trimming back the shade, I dug it up and replanted it almost in the same place but with the branches standing up and the root ball on about 45 degrees from its original orientation. It is going on 5 years now and it has been happy ever since. I had a Mountain Laurel that was starting to block a walkway. Rather than cutting it back, since it is such a slow grower, I rotated it. It too is very happy as am I. One more, I have a white azalea that was only one long circling branch. I replanted in back of a red azalea and now I have the red in back and the white reaching around to the front. They have been happy for 20 years now. OTOH, If you don't turn it then, in the spring, I would chop the major limbs that are out of balance.

Emb mentions the "Canada Red Cherry", and that could be a reasonable option for you. Certainly hardy enough. I've had two for years and while I've frequently cursed my decision to plant them-lots of suckers from the roots-they have done very well and only now, after thirty-some years, are succumbing to black knot, an unstoppable disease of cherries, plums, et al. Foliage starts out green in spring and goes to a very nice purple throughout most of the summer. Birds keep the fruit under control in mine, although some do make it to the ground and sprout. I was quite surprised one day last year when, upon popping one of these fruits into my mouth, I learned that these little fruits can actually get pretty sweet. would not have thought so, and maybe there is seasonal variation on that factor, but that's not why you'd be growing it anyway. +oM

Thanks for your help/comments. I did have the lawn treated with weedkilling herbicide and fed with a granular fertilizer earlier in the year by Greenthumb, a well know lawn maintenance company here in the UK. I was wondering myself whether they sprayed too near the tree as the grassed area probably goes over the top of the tree's roots. However, the same treatment was done last year and the tree looked a whole lot healthier, so it could be the dry Spring and Summer. That said, the tree now looks almost like it is wilting all the time. I have fed it recently with some plant food and that doesn't seem to have improved the situation. I took off the bad branch (sawed it off) and the wood looks in good clean condition. All light beige/brown colour, no signs of disease.