Dear Bruce,

Thank you for reaching out in reference to your Clara Hawthorns. It appears that you have 2 different issues going on. The first is that something I would suspect a caterpillar has found your hawthorn delicious and had a few bites. The injuries look older and there are no signs of insects or caterpillars in your photos other than the eaten leaf portions so I suspect that they have moved on. The second it appears that you have or may have Entomosporium leaf spot, a fungal disease that affects hawthorns usually when there is too much moisture. The way to know for sure is to send tissue samples to the plant pathology lab at A&M. If you do make sure to send plenty of plant tissue and send it overnight so that it will arrive at their location no later than a Thursday morning.

You will want to make sure that you rake up and dispose of all the diseased leaves that are on the ground and clean your yard tools after using them as well. Good clean practices are important to prevent spread of the disease. Water only when necessary you may want to get a moisture meter so you have a way of checking, when you do water do so in the morning and avoid getting the leaves wet if at all possible. Avoid pruning and fertilizing as they encourage excess new growth. You may want to get a soil sample so that when you do fertilize you apply only what is necessary.

There are treatments that are detailed in the articles below.
D1178 – General Diagnostic Form and Instructions | Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab (tamu.edu)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhaphiolepis-indica/

Thank you again for contacting us and if we can help in the future please let us know using the contact information below.

Regards,

Lynn

Volunteer

Fort Bend County Master Gardeners

Research and Gardening Help Desk Team

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https://fbmg.org/