Pat, I just had a feeling I remember someone having problems with something that looked similar to spring sickness and some fertillizer granules had fallen down into the middle of the plant. I can't remember for sure if that was a case where we finally figured out it was the spreader-sticker on a pesticide application and not the fertilizer, so just thought it better to eliminate that possibility. In theory a reasonably high analysis fertilizer there could burn the plant.
Sabrina, the fungus suspected of possibly being involved in spring sickness is Aureobasidium microstictum, the same fungus that causes leaf streak. It's somewhat possible that a fungicide application might reduce it but there are no guarantees it would and for the few plants you have I wouldn't have thought it worth experimenting. One of the task force members did some testing with fungicides and insecticides/miticides and although both reduced the amount of spring sickness they didn't stop it. The application may actually need to be applied in the previous year. Another fungus that has been suggested to be involved is a new Botrytis species but that study did not replicate typical spring sickness.
No don't spray with whatever fungicide you can find! Different fungicides work against different fungi. If any fungicide would work for all fungal diseases then we wouldn't need all the different ones that are available. If you really want to try then look for one that is as broad spectrum as you can get.
Your plant is not that bad, try not to worry about it (impossible?
)
