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junjun

By Junjun

Surrey, United Kingdom

My pieris "flaming silver" young red leaves and new shoots turned brown completely after transplanted into flower bed from pot last week. Green leaves look ok. Also Azalea flowers and buds become brown too at the same time. Azalea is next to my pieris and it has been there before I moved here last spring. I put little amount of plant food in soil for pieris and on surface of soil for azalea on same day then watered. Few days later both of them have got similar problem. The plant food is specific for Azalea. The weather had been rainy during Easter holiday. I took food plant out as much as possible from Azalea and transplanted pieris into pot again as I thought it must have been food plant given in wrong time. I think I should give it to them after flowering. But I am not sure if my guess is correct or not as I have no experience and very beginner. Another possibilities are there are roses had black spots on leaves around them so I took them away with my hand. But I don't know if black spot fungus cause this problem. I added photos of last week and this week. If anyone could give me any advice, it will be highly appreciated. Thank you!




Answers

 

With the wet days did you have frosty nights recently? My best guess would be that this is more likely to be frost damage than anything connected with the feeding. The young leaves of the Pieris and new early flowers on the Azalea are tender and susceptible to frost damage, particularly if the Pieris was in a covered area where you bought it. You will lose these new leaves, but the plant should survive and perhaps give you a later flush of new growth.
If you recognise that this might have been the problem, then I would suggest you get the Pieris planted, give it a mulch and protect it when frost is forecast. This will give it a better chance than being in its pot.

12 Apr, 2012

 

Certainly frost damage on new growth. Cut off the withered growth down to the live greenery and the shrub will re-shoot.

12 Apr, 2012

 

I agree..it's frost damage..it will be ok ,they are quite tough,and it will regrow..

12 Apr, 2012

 

That's four for the frost damage. It happens.

12 Apr, 2012

 

Thank you very much for quick responses, everyone! Before this problem happened I went to Cotswolds to see beautiful gardens for few days and came home to find out they are suffered. It had been very cold weekend there so I guess here is Surrey must have been cold too and mulch was too thin to protect them.

I will put a pieris back to flower bed and cut back blown parts and also took dead flower head and buds from Azalea then give them enough mulch. I didn't know how critical the frost damage to new growth could be and didn't realise it till I saw these advises. I will be more careful about it from now on.

Thanks again for great helps!!!

12 Apr, 2012

 

Pieris Flaming Silver is particularly susceptible to frost damage - should really be planted somewhere very sheltered and part shady. The azalea appears to have suffered frost damage only on its flowers and buds rather than the leaves, that's just luck of the draw with the weather. Both these plants do not like to dry out though, so keep watered during dry spells.

12 Apr, 2012

 

The mulch won't prevent this kind of top growth damage. It happens because the plants are not protected from the frost in the air. I would take the advice given above and get them back in the ground. If you expect more frost put fleece over them to give them a warm canopy in which to escape the frost. If possible check on the preferred site for new plants. Bamboo knows this is susceptible to frost damage maybe you could move it to where it will be less vulnerable.

12 Apr, 2012

 

Thank you very much for more information!

I have transplanted a pieris and gave them a mulch today.

Azalea seems to be there for years and grow lots. As a beginner it looks bit difficult for me to transplanted it without damage to its root. I will wait till I have more experience and use fleece to protect it for a while. I will keep watered and buy fleece for them. There are some ok buds so I want keep them nicely.

I asked just one question and lots of people gave me helpful information and I learned lots! I do very much appreciate all your helps:)

12 Apr, 2012

 

We will look forward to seeing you blossom JujJun. Nobody knows everything and the more you learn the more you realise you don't know. An elderly friend used to say "I'll know when I'm dead because I will have stopped learning"

13 Apr, 2012

 

If your azalea has been where it is for a long time (more than 2 years) I'd leave it alone. Most years, this won't have happened to the flowers - it's just the strange weather we've had this year, being very warm indeed in March, and then winter temperatures suddenly returning just as everything's flowering. That contrast is enough to shock any plant's flowers into submission...

13 Apr, 2012

 

Yes I totally agree with you. Since I started to do gardening I find something new everyday and I realized there are too many things I don't know. I check website and gardening magazines everyday to look for answers but sometimes I just can't find right one because of lack of knowledge and experiences. I enjoy learning new things and hope I will be like everyone here who can give advice to others someday in the future!

My Azalea must have been here more than 3 years so I will leave it as it is. It was very warm, sometimes even I felt hot in March. I am glad to be able to understand why plants had problem like that. Thank you!

14 Apr, 2012

 

:)

14 Apr, 2012

How do I say thanks?

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