Considering the delicate nature of some plants, it confuses me why some people would rather experiment with household sprays rather than use what has proven to be safe. Perhaps "safe" is not the right word because it suggests something can be used ad infinitum for anything and everything. Some household materials can be used in a lot of cases. Baking soda...(bicarbonate of sodad) has been shown for use in many uses round the home....mostly with a view to cleaning. Baking soda can be used to kill pests, clean a car battery, as a general cleaner around the home and as general spray for use on plants where mildew is a problem. Baking soda, left on the surface of soil, can kill mold. There's dormant oil commonly used on outdoor trees,, shrubs and roses, but can be used effectively on houseplants. A simple test of a leaf with any such treatment, might assure the user that it is safe. Then there are the more intense household sprays..the Lysols, the bleaches, the soaps, the liquid designed to penetrate into soiled clothes prior to washing and let's not forget the material that makes the soaps work better, the 20Mule Team Borax and others of their ilk. Lysol and Listerine have definite purposes....but I have yet to see someone confirm that these materials can be used to clean or treat a leaf for whatever might affect them. I trust the user has tried the simple remedies first. Water, sprayed on by hand sprayer or hose-end, or wiped on a leaf and then wiped off and what, if any, results occurred. The water spray method has been shown to work in most initial stages of pest control. Identifying the pest of course is the key to treating for those things that attack our plants....the aphids, the whiteflies, the worms.....and so on. Spraying something for a "I think" approach can lead to bad things happening. Suggesting a problem is what is affecting a plant is not the prescribed method to cure. If a person is aware of the many causes of spots, of leaves browning, of proceeding to the drop-off stage, then they wouldn't reach for the heavy cleaner to fix the problem. Taking some of the results to heart...the browning of leaves we can come up with many causes but mostly simple reasons why it happens and we try to fix by avoidance. Overwatering, underwatering, too much sun, too little light, too much or too little fertilizer, a current of cold air from an open door or window...or a combo of any and all. We might assume that since the leaf falls off, then surely it is because it needs moisture. But the truth is any of the mentioned causes can be why they drop. Leaf spots can suggest a pest or something has attacked the leaf tissue. I would imagine putting Lysol on a leaf is not doing the leaf any good....since it does have properties of intenseness in cleaning, I can think such spray could eat at the membrane of a leaf and cause it to spot. Fungus is everywhere. Its in the air and flies around waiting for a host to land on. There are many forms of fungus...the common mushroom is one. Powdery mildew and mold are two such happenings. When we find them on materials in the home, then we don't hesitate to reach for the cleaners. But a plant leaf is not the same thing as a dank basement wall. If instead of thinking how to treat the plant, why not think of what might have brought the situation to that point. Why is the plant's leaves turning brown? What might be in or on the spot...is there a pest eating inside the leaf tissue. Why not take a needle and pierce the spot and see if anything pops up or out. How far the damage has progressed might suggest how to treat it....if it needs treating. Another reliable fix is water.....with soap added. Soap has been shown to kill a bug by suffocating it, depriving it of its ability to breathe. But soap itself can cause problems by depriving the leaf of oxygen if it clogs the pores. Therefore, a weak solution is prescribed. A 2 1/2% solution has been found to be effective on most plants' problems. 40 parts water, 1 part dishSOAP, sprayed on from top to bottom, bottom to top; left on for 10 or so minutes to do its job, then rinsed off ..with warmish water, bottom to top, top to bottom. Pest problems occur because the animal has a very short cycle of life and in most cases such cycle of egg, to larvae, to adult stage occurs in as little as a few days. Any such treatment should always be with the thought that it has to be repeated often enough to break the cycle. Such repeat treatments can be safely done 3 times within a 20 day period. That is....today, 7 days from, and again in 7 days. Then a vigil is kept to make sure the problem has not re-occurred. I realize some leaves might be too delicate for many of these suggestions but one might dampen a cloth or tissue, and holding the leaf on our palm, wipe with such as a way to clean or remove dust. A weak solution of baking soda or one with vegetable oil added, might be wiped on, wiped off.

When it rains a lot, the pH of the soil can temporarily be affected and cause some yellowing but curling or swelling might indicate a pest is causing that problem. Can you post a picture of the bush and several close ups of the affected leaves (top and bottom)? Pests can hide underneath the leaves and they sometimes come out of hiding at night so you need to identify them when they are out doing their damage.

You might have better luck posting this in the fruit and orchard forum. Try to upload pictures if you can. Kristopher

My guess is lack of water. This time of the year (as summer approaches) you will need to increase the amount of water that the plant gets. Other than the plant looking like a macrophylla, I am not sure what specific variety this one is (I am really bad at doing that - sorry). Since the plant is not established (takes 1 yr for most any plant), I would not worry. Check the soil moisture daily by inserting a finger 3-4" deep. If it feels wet, the plants is getting too much water. If it is moist, do not water. If it feels dry or almost dry, water. Then observe how often watering lasts. Set your sprinkler on that schedule. One question, I could not clearly tell... do you have mulch around the plants? They need 3-4" past the drip line in hot zones or hot places like Texas. Luis