you might have had a fungus called 'rust'. since you "flooded" the root ball, you probably made it worse. Rust is a fungus that comes from too much water. If the fuzzy white is on the bottom of the leaf, you have 'downy mildew'. if on top, 'powdery mildew'. if it is various spots above and below, you have 'mealy bugs'.
disease and insects attack weak plants. the plant is definitely being over watered. also, it may be planted too deep. a lot of PA soil is full of clay. when planting in clay, you must make an extra wide hole to allow for lateral root growth. also, plant about 2 inches high due to the slow drying rate of clay soil.