Peiris struggles

Hi,
I wonder if anyone can tell me what may be wrong with my peiris? It's been in situ (shady spot) for @ 18 months and has looked very happy until the last month or so. We have watered regularly during this summer so I'm reluctant to think ots lack of water but maybe wrong!
Thanks in advance.
Joanna

 

Do you have acid soil @Jowo ? Think that's what Pieris prefer.

 

Yes, the whole of that bed is ericaceous preferring plants, so I don't think that's the problem but thanks for the suggestion. Joanna

 

I think it’s this problem.
brown leaves on Pieris

The overall soil is bone dry and if it’s an established plant, the the roots are wider and deeper. Watering doesn’t help to overcome the general problem.
I would leave it as it is and see if it develops new leaves.

I had the same with my Weigela.

 

Yes, it maybe lack of water as you can never give them all enough when its so dry. It has new growth on it too so that's why I thought it may be something else. Thanks for your input. Joanna

 

Watering often will flush nutrients through the soil and the possible reason the plant isn't looking healthy. It's a little risky feeding this late in the season but perhaps you could take the chance and give it a more diluted feed.

 

Thanks Sheal. Will do
Joanna

 

There's a lot of competition there @Jowo - I can see a laurel, so dry soil is the most likely reason, and it can also be difficult for rain to get in to sufficiently keep the soil moist. It's always worth mulching the surrounding soil. Leaf mould is the best of all, but that needs doing yourself, but any organic matter - compost, manure, shredded bark [also very good] etc is fine. They don't appreciate poorer conditions, so as long as the soil's in good condition, they do well, and beefing up your soil is always the best solution, as it helps retain that moisture.
Browning foliage can also just be down to sun/wind damage, but, looking at your pic, it also might be physical damage, so it's worth taking a look at the damaged area to see if a branch is broken. It does look as if it's just one part of the shrub. Wildlife/birds can easily break branches. You can remove anything damaged, and they'll grow away no problem again.
They also don't desperately need acidic soil - they're fine in relatively neutral soil, as long as it's the acidic side of neutral, rather than the alkaline side.

 

The extremes of heat and drought this year has caused a lot of plants to struggle. Often the signs do not show until late in the season. Your pieris will soon recover with the rain we are currently having, yours would need huge amounts of watering in its location due to the other large plants growing near it. They will all have been competing for miniscule amounts of moisture, as well as being scorched by the sun and dehydrated by the wind during the summer.

 

Thanks for your response.
Yes, admittedly there is a very thirsty hydrangea next to it. The laurel hedge is actually a few feet away and lower level so more likely the hydrangea. I hope it is just lack of water, but that does make sense now, and probably hydrangea has taken the lions share when we watered during the summer. It's in a sheltered shady spot so I'm hoping it'll recover with the rain. Many thanks
Joanna

 

Thanks for your response. Yes the garden is loving this rain! Fingers crossed for a good recovery

 

I won't say what I mis-read the title of this thread as! Suffice to say, my eye merged two of the letters

 

I agree @JennyJB , did a double-take!

 

Just ignore these filthy minded wimmin @Jowo ...honestly, I just don't know where we get them from. I'm never, ever filthy minded ....

I can see now that the laurel isn't quite as close, but the hydrangea will certainly soak up a lot of water, and if the ground slopes towards the laurels, it'll makes it way there too. It's really hard to keep soil well hydrated in long dry spells, and any plant that really likes, and needs, good moisture levels, can struggle, and it only become noticeable later on. It's why it's important to ensure good watering until roots are established thoroughly.
I would definitely just take a look at the brown bits to see if there's physical damage though -even if it's just the outermost leaves. It can happen very easily, and if it's only that one area, that could well be the problem rather than the plant itself struggling.