Red tip photinia is the ideal addition to your garden if you’re looking for a flowering shrub that can grow in full sun, is drought tolerant and requires no pruning. Have you got a collection of red tip photinia in your garden?

What does red tip photinia look like?

The Red Tip Photinia is the smallest of the Family Rosaceae plants with an average height of 20 feet. Known to be a dense and broad-leafed shrub, it brings nature and beauty. 

It has a compact, rounded shape and grows to an average height of 5 feet. The leaves are dark green, glossy and oval-shaped. 

The plant produces small clusters of white flowers in April or May. The red tip photinia is a very popular ornamental shrub known for its bright red new leaf growth, which turns brown as it matures over the summer.

Its pinkish red tips give off a beautiful glow in early spring and fall, as well as exotic vibrancy throughout other times of the year. These beautiful flowers attract lots of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds who are always looking for a tasty treat.

How to grow and care for red tip photinia?

Light

The red tip photinia is a shrub that grows well in full sunlight or partial shade. You should plant this shrub in areas with full sunlight for the best growth.

However, it can also survive in areas with partial shade. If you put the red tip photinia in an area with too much shade. It will not grow as well and might not grow at all.

Some plants are more sensitive to light than others. Red tip photinia is one of those plants that has some shade tolerance but not a lot.

For example, if you have a wooded area, it will do well as long as there is some sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees above it.

If there is no sunlight at all, then the plant may die because it cannot photosynthesize. Plants need to photosynthesize to make food and grow. 

Red tip photinia requires a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day to grow properly.

Soil

It depends on where it is that you want to grow your shrub. Photinias are a broad genus of plants, containing around 120 species and varieties. 

The most common varieties are those with red tips. People often use this plant for landscaping purposes and grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 9. 

Most varieties will do well in acidic soils with a pH level between 4 and 6.5, but individual plants may vary in specific needs.

The plant itself can grow up to 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide. They producing bright green leaves with a reddish tint along its edges during the spring and summer months. 

Its leaves turn yellow-gold in the fall and grow smaller as winter approaches.

There are two particular factors you should consider when choosing soil for your photinia: drainage and acidity (pH). 

To ensure proper drainage for your shrub, look for a location that has deep, loose soil that drains water well. This will help prevent root rot from occurring, which can cause death of your plant.

If you have already chosen a site that has good drainage, consider the number of acidity levels within the soil before deciding.

Water

Red tip photinia is a shrub that has become popular in the past decade. It’s attractive and easy to grow, but it does require lots of water. 

The ideal situation is to water deeply a couple of times per week, but this may not be possible during times of drought.

Section 1: Watering schedule

You can check the soil moisture by inserting your finger about 1-2 inches into the soil. If the soil is dry, then water thoroughly until water drains out the bottom of the pot. 

For example, if you have a 6 inch pot, then water until at least 6 inches of water drain out the bottom hole. If you have a smaller pot, then water until there are no more drips from your pot when you lift it up from its saucer.

Section 2: How much to water?

For watering depth and frequency, its recommended that for every inch in height, your red tip photinia needs approximately one gallon of water per week. 

For example, a 4 foot tall tree should get about 4 gallons per week. So for a 6 inch pot with 6 inches of height. You would want to add about 2 gallons of water to reach the above recommended 2 inches deepth.

Temperature and humidity

The red tip photinia prefers a temperature of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and medium light. The average humidity for the photinia should be between 45 and 55 percent. 

In order to keep your plant healthy, you should check the temperature and humidity levels frequently.

Fertilizer

There are two main types of fertilizer that are good for Red Tip Photinia. One is a slow release fertilizer, the other one is an all-purpose fertilizer. 

Slow release fertilizers are usually best if you want your plant to grow very slowly. So you can control how much growth it has. 

All-purpose fertilizers are good to use when you want your plant to grow at a medium rate, but also give it the nutrients it needs at the same time.

There’s also a difference between dry fertilizers and liquid fertilizers. Dry fertilizers have to be mixed into the soil before planting or sown with seeds, while liquid fertilizers can simply be poured on top of the soil without worrying about sowing them first.

How to propagate the red tip photinia?

It’s really easy to propagate the red tip photinia. Here are some steps:

First, find a branch that is either a runner or has fallen from the plant and make sure it has buds on it. 

Remove any leaves from the branch and place them in water until the roots start to grow. If you want to speed up this process, use the rooting hormone but it’s not necessary. 

Once you see roots growing, transplant them into soil and water lightly until the plant starts to grow again. 

If you want to grow more plants, just take the cuttings of your new little tree and follow the same process.

Common problems with red tip photinia

However, this plant has some common problems during the growing period. And these issues may cause the whole plant to die if not taken care of it at the right time. 

It’s important to solve these problems in order to grow a healthy red tip photinia.

See below for a list of common red tip photinia problems and their solutions:

Leaves falling

-Problem 1: Red tip photinia leaves are falling off like dry leaves.

-Solution 1: Check whether the soil of your plant is dry or wet. If so, water it with enough water until the soil is watered well enough.

-Problem 2: Red tip photinia leaves are falling off due to disease.

-Solution 2: Check whether there are any insects on the red tip photinia leaves or not. If so, spray pesticide on the affected parts of the plant until remove all insects.

–Problem 3: Red tip photinia leaves are falling off due to severe cold temperature or too high temperature.

-Solution 3: Put some tree guard on top of the stems of your plant as protection from strong wind and sunlight. Also, cover your pot with a plastic bag in extreme weather conditions.

Leaves aren’t red

I know some of you might be confused about why leaves aren’t red during the growing of red tip photinia. The reason is that red tip photinia is a kind of evergreen shrub. 

During the growing season, the shrub will remove chlorophyll out from its leaves. And anthocyanin will replace it. Because the anthocyain makes the leaves turn into dark green or purple.

Plants smell awful

Why do plants smell awful during the growing of red tip photinia?

The reason is that it produces ethylene, which is a natural chemical that all plants produce. It’s what causes your fruit to ripen and as a by-product it creates a strong aroma. 

The smell is caused by the breakdown of chlorophyll, which means that if you’re feeling put off by the smell, it’s a sign that your plant has established itself in its new home.

How do I get rid of this smell?

The first thing to do is try and resist watering too much. When you water, you not only give the plant water but also extra food, which can cause further growth and therefore more ethylene production. 

The best thing to do is let your plants dry out between watering. Also, make sure they are in bright sunlight or else they won’t photosynthesize so there will be no need for them to produce ethylene. 

If you must water, water from above rather than from below as this will create airflow within the soil and will help prevent fungus growth. If your plant does get fungus, there are many gardening shops and online forums where you can find remedies for this problem.

Shrub is too sparse

There are several factors that can contribute to the bareness of your shrubs during the winter months. Shrubs that grow in areas where there is heavy snowfall might simply not be able to withstand the weight of the snow. 

Another possibility is that the shrub has been trimmed back too severely; the red tip photinia shrub naturally loses its leaves in the fall and then sprouts new growth in the spring. 

If it’s been cut back too short, it may not have enough remaining foliage to grow new branches.

Another potential cause is root damage caused by extremely cold weather. This is more common in areas with colder winters or if your plants were planted too close to a concrete barrier or other structure that prevents them from receiving adequate drainage. 

A damaged root system will not only deprive a shrub of nutrients but also prevent it from growing new leaves and branches.

Conclusion

Red tip photinia is an attractive evergreen shrub with delicate soft leaved growth and flowers in spring. The delicate look of the red tips is what makes this plant so appealing.

It is a flowering shrub that is found across the Pacific. They are known to be deciduous plants and they are compatible with any type of soil. 

The paling red tips of the leaves made it one of the commonly used shrubs in flowerbeds across the Asian continent.