This spring I planted a large Shamel Ash. A lot of leaves dried up and fell off due to the high heat this summer in AZ. But I watered every 2-3 days by filling the deep basin around the tree anyways hoping it would come back. Well last week got new shoots in 2 places on 2 limbs next to some of the surviving old leaves. They were nice and bright green and really healthy looking. But yesterday i noticed that the new leaves are starting to curl up and get brown from the tips. Here are some pics of the new leaves .... Any idea what is causing this? Thanks ted W Here is a link that might be useful: My Shamel Ash Problem Pictures on Web

Sorry on the zone thing...farmland south of San Antonio, Tx is our location. Thanks for trying to help and responding so quickly. Tis not cold here...quite the opposite. I've tried sun, half-day sun, semi-shade over the past month (each method about 7-10 days at a time) with no improvement where ever I put them. I think am correctly watering (moist not soaked) and fine-mist spray my fuchsias each morn as it is very dry here. Fertilize once every 7-10 days. This is very frustrating. Should I cut it back hard, bring inside, and hope? Only the top 1/3 of each stem/branch has leaves and blooms and this "strange leaf problem" is continuing to progress upwards to the remaining leaves. :-( On another topic, I recently purchased "diatomaceous earth-organic grade" (dust form) and "beneficial nematodes" (spray into soil form) to help control fleas, June bugs, and other nuisance pests from my yard. When I get ready to use these products, are my fuchsias safe? Can I dust/spray them with these?

The first defoliation was most likely a function of the change in light between where it was sited at school and the lower light area where it is/was at home. It's very possible that the crispy leaf tips/margins are being caused by over-watering, a high level of salts in the soil (from fertilizer and dissolved solids in your tap water), or a combination of both. If your plant is wilting when you can still detect moisture in the soil, it's almost certain that root function is impaired, and the plant 'perking up' as evening approaches supports that thought. Again, this may be the result of an overly water-retentive soil and the lack of air in the root zone that comes with it, or a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, or both. Even the recurring insect infestation can be resultant of a suppressed metabolism due to poor root health. The fix when your plant wilts while the soil is still moist is less water, not more, and a flushing of the soil to remove excess salts that may be inhibiting water uptake. A high level of salts in the soil can do the same thing to plants that salt does to cured meats, like ham, bacon, summer sausage ..... When the level of salts in the soil is higher than the level of salts in plant or animal cells (meat), the salt actually pulls moisture from cells. When this condition is severe, a condition called plasmolysis can result as cells collapse and plasma is torn from cell walls. Commonly, we call it fertilizer burn. Al PS - it's much more important to shade the container than the foliage. A light colored cache pot filled with an absorbent material you can keep moist (between the 2 pots) or a pot-in-pot arrangement with the outside pot being white or a light color would probably go a long way toward keeping root temps out of the danger zone.

The closest image I have found is of the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV), but the symtom on my plants is not yellow or even yellowish. The curl that I see is not on mature leaves, only new growth and the immature leaves are very tight -- like, not opening or haven't yet opened) The curl might look like the TYLCV if the leaves were to mature and then turn yellow (with some imagination). Herbicide damage is out, non used on anything. Fluctuation in temperatures -- not remarkable. Over or under-watering is hard to imagine, since the garden soil is fairly loose and in raised gardens with more than a couple feet to the ground level. Before we water we put our hands in the soil to determine if watering is necessary. If anything, we might over-water to compensate for the airy/fast draining soil. Haven't seen any aphids around. Now that I've read about the virus that whitefly spread -- (TYLCV) we'll have to figure a way to keep them away. That will be another question. I hope Digdirt has the right idea. Maybe it is the "old non-harmful tomato leaf roll". That would have something to do with watering. The only thing we've added to the soil is a bloom-builder -- one time. These are plants that were started in early December and transplanted at about one foot high about a month ago. They have passed the stage when they should have been stacked or trellised -- just couldn't find the darn string! Hate to spend the gas, cause we have a big roll some darn place!