# Japanese Pieris - Mountain Fire



## mtate (May 10, 2003)

I planted 5 Pieris under the overhang of my house, they recieve full sun (southwest exposure). Almost all of the leaves on each plant have turned a withered brown and are not flowering. Only the bottom few stems are green and now have white panicles. Is this too much sun for these plants or is it wind scorch? They were fine all winter till the snow melted. I live in Putnam County, New York.


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## jimmyq (May 11, 2003)

Could be winter scorch from cold and wind, could be lack of water being that they are under the overhang or could be salt or fertilizer burn. any more pictures available?


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## John Paul Sanborn (May 11, 2003)

I would go with the winter effect.

Pieris japonica is listed as a zone 5 plant, if you are in a zone 5b then that means it can grow, mbut may frost out in spring.

Southwest exposures are prone to this, they wake up to ealy from the wrm micro environmet, the get zapped by a late frost.

I'm in a 4-5b area, if people insist on these class of plantings, I try to get them to put the trees on north or north east exposures that will not warm up to early.


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## mtate (May 11, 2003)

I don't have a scanner for pictures. But it is also true that I did not realize they were not getting water under the overhang. They did look good all winter until spring. Can they overcome either winter scorch or lack of water at this point, or will I wind up with just the thick middle stem with some green shoots off the bottom? They look pretty terrible!


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## jimmyq (May 11, 2003)

at the nursery we hammer it back really hard and it comes back strong from basal shoots (almost always). I would say to remove the affected shoots and branches pretty much anytime as they are deadwood, then thin to a strong branch network and leave them be.


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