Pieris Japonica Cavatine - Ask Extension
I have had this plant in my garden for several years. Last year, I noticed it was not looking good - pale leaves, some yellow leaves. I could not se...
Knowledgebase
Pieris Japonica Cavatine #869782
Asked May 23, 2024, 12:56 PM EDT
I have had this plant in my garden for several years. Last year, I noticed it was not looking good - pale leaves, some yellow leaves. I could not see any sign of infestation of insects, etc. I transplanted it last fall to a new location and it is still alive, but still not looking very healthy. It gets sun all day until late afternoon. I fertilized it this spring with Holly-Tone. There is a drip irrigation system in that bed. The while blotches you see on the leaves are from a treatment of Daconil (grasping at anything). Thanks.
Sussex County Delaware
Expert Response
This plant likes cool roots and an organic enriched, well draining, slightly acidic soil. You do not say anything about the state of the soil where you replanted this shrub. If it is sandy it will be acidic but may need organic matter.
This is a plant that should do well in the sun exposure you have it in. Stone mulch and landscape fabric however, is not really conducive to cool roots, as the brown stone tends to heat up and then the landscape fabric holds the heat in. Perhaps you could replace the mulch around the plant and extedning out another 4-6 " with an organic mulch that will hold moisture and keep the roots cooler. Just make sure the mulch does not touch the crown.
Daconil is a fungicide and I don't notice any disease cankers or leaf spots on the plant, so perhaps that helped with the wet spring we have been having.
Having been just transplanted last fall, I would expect this slow, growing plant to take at least a year to recover from transplant shock. Hopefully you kept it watered this winter as it was a warm, windy one and I assume your drip irrigation was turned off. If not, that may be contributing to its thinness.
Fertilizing with Holly Tone right after flowering is the right timing and fertilizer. You could use a half strength fertilization after flowering and another half strength 6-8 weeks later. Don't fertilize after July 1.
When you transplanted the shrub, what was the state of the root ball? white versus dark roots, rootbound or roots spread out. If the roots looked good, then I would do a 1/2 strength fertilization in 6-8 weeks, keep it watered when the weather warms up and replace the stone mulch with an organic mulch to keep the roots cool. Give the transplant shock another 6 months and hopefully by the fall it should be looking better.
This is a plant that should do well in the sun exposure you have it in. Stone mulch and landscape fabric however, is not really conducive to cool roots, as the brown stone tends to heat up and then the landscape fabric holds the heat in. Perhaps you could replace the mulch around the plant and extedning out another 4-6 " with an organic mulch that will hold moisture and keep the roots cooler. Just make sure the mulch does not touch the crown.
Daconil is a fungicide and I don't notice any disease cankers or leaf spots on the plant, so perhaps that helped with the wet spring we have been having.
Having been just transplanted last fall, I would expect this slow, growing plant to take at least a year to recover from transplant shock. Hopefully you kept it watered this winter as it was a warm, windy one and I assume your drip irrigation was turned off. If not, that may be contributing to its thinness.
Fertilizing with Holly Tone right after flowering is the right timing and fertilizer. You could use a half strength fertilization after flowering and another half strength 6-8 weeks later. Don't fertilize after July 1.
When you transplanted the shrub, what was the state of the root ball? white versus dark roots, rootbound or roots spread out. If the roots looked good, then I would do a 1/2 strength fertilization in 6-8 weeks, keep it watered when the weather warms up and replace the stone mulch with an organic mulch to keep the roots cool. Give the transplant shock another 6 months and hopefully by the fall it should be looking better.
