Question

forsythia   I live in NM. We are in a drought but we just had a nice rainy month. I have 4 newly planted dwarf forsythia bushes. They are not doing well and the leaves have rust-looking spots on them. I water 3x per week when we don't get any rain. Am I over watering or under  watering? Is this a fungal disease perhaps?
Thanks!

Answer
Terri:
These spots do not resemble rust nor any other infectious disease.  They may be related to an unfavorable environment rather than a disease.  The spots may be a type of injury-difficult to tell w/o seeing another closeup photo. Have you sprayed anything on the leaves?

As far as water goes, the soil need just to be moist not too wet.  Too much can lead to root rot, especially if there is a lot of clay in the soil.  Just check the soil periodically.  It just just stick to your fingers when you squeeze a bit between your thumb and fore finger..  You may wish to have a soil sample checked for nutrients- your leaves look a bit yellow.

Regards
Steve