My beautiful pyracantha......

11 years ago

is dead. I had a beautiful pyracantha trained onto a trellis for several years now and noticed this year it never turned bright green and there was no new growth happening. The berries from last fall never fell off and all turned black. So, I did a bit of online research and found out it had "pyracantha scab". Turns out I should have been spraying it with a fungicide all along. My famous last words are, "I didn't know"! I guess I do know now. I have some small pyracantha growing in pots in the back of the garage and am considering replanting one of those in the spot but then I will have to spray. Do you think I should?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

prairiemoon2 z6b MA
11 years ago
javaandjazz, I love pyracantha but have never grown one. I'm sorry you lost yours. I think it's a great that you have some small ones in pots!

I have never used any kind of fungicide or pesticide or herbicide and seem to manage fine. Even with roses. If a plant is known to be susceptible to something, I will try to take precautions or avoid the plant all together. In the case of pyracantha, I wonder if it was growing in full sun and if it had good air circulation? I would think it is a vigorous grower that must need pruning to keep it open for air circulation?

As far as putting it in the same spot again, since you already have plants, I might experiment by planting them in different locations, that might improve the air circulation and see which one does best. I wouldn't put it back in the same spot because there might be something in the soil there that would infect a new plant. Maybe it's a good opportunity to try a Clematis there or a Honeysuckle or similar?

If you do plant the small pyracanthas in different locations, I would also try to keep it pruned in as open a manner as possible to allow for sun and light to get into the interior of the plant.

You may still end up with a problem, but at least you will have tried to reduce the chances of it, with some small changes.
cloud_9
11 years ago
I wanted to give my condolences! That plant was gorgeous!

Are you sure that is what killed your plant? I just Googled it and read, "The blackening of the fruit is the most serious symptom of the disease." at the IPM website. Perhaps you could check with CT Cooperative Extension and see if they could confirm the diagnosis or give you another. If it was indeed what killed your plant, I wouldn't plant another pyracantha near that spot because there will still be the spores that caused the disease still present. You would just be setting yourself up for round after round of spraying. Is there anyplace else you could replant?
Related Discussions
Have Rooted Pyracantha evergreen/orange berries
Q
Comments (5)
Do you have to worry about how long regular mail will take a box to get within four states of you? I've learned something today, thanks! You are still using Priority mail, but you are instead just paying by the pound. If you are going to do much plant trading it really helps to have a digital postal scale so you always know what it the best value...by the LB or Flat Rate. You can usually get a good cheap scale on Ebay for $20 or less (including postage) and it will soon pay for itself in the $$ saved. I use it too to weigh bubble envelopes, so I never have to guess or put excess postage on them, just to be sure they are not short. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: Good economical scales on Ebay
...See More
pyracantha
Q
Comments (3)
I've got a large one and it's really very unattractive shape-wise. It's got a base the size of a small tree, but at about 15 inches above the ground, it splits into two or three long (15 feet? 18 feet?), sparsely branched branches that wave around in the air and, in the fall, bend down with the weight of the berries. At that point, the ends of the branches are able to reach out and grab my hair with those ferocious thorns! This year, I'm planning to cut it down to the ground and see if it returns in better form. I'm told it accepts hard pruning pretty well.
...See More
Please help! What's attacking my pyracantha?
Q
Comments (2)
Inspect for aphid or spider mite infestation just to make sure, okay? Fireblight often begins with the wilting of the terminal growth, but it's too early to tell you if that might be the problem. Pyracantha as a genus is prone to fireblight, but some species and cultivars are quite resistant. I do not know into which category your plant falls. Warmish and rainy conditions set your plant up for a fire blight infection, as does excessive vegetative growth induced by nitrogen fertilization and improper pruning. If this were my plant, I would be sorely tempted to prune those wilted terminals clear down to healthy looking growth. Dip pruners in rubbing alcohol or other sterilant between cuts.
...See More
White fuzzy stuff on pyracantha?!
Q
Comments (1)
Mealybug? Hard to tell from the photo. How about a close up or two?
...See More
Richard Dollard
Original Author
11 years ago
I had the blackened fruit Deb. I cut it down last night. That's my only area for this plant. I don't have any another space for the trellis. Oh well.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years ago
Oh, too bad! I remember that plant and it was indeed beautiful! Geez, when I saw the title of this post I thought we were going to get some new and improved photos, so I was saddened to hear the news that it died.

I know nothing about this plant or the disease, but I think I would save one of the small ones and let it live in the pot, and do some research about how long to wait or what, if anything, to do to the spot if you want to replant in the same spot. I wouldn't just replant so soon. Pehaps by waiting or doing something that is recommended you can avoid the disease again or at least minimize the chances of reoccurence.

I personally don't like to use sprays and such, both from an environmental standpoint and a laziness standpoint, but if that seems to be the only option, that is up to you to decide whether the plant is worth the work.

Good luck! Really! I hope there is some way you can have this beautiful plant again!

Dee
ctlady_gw
11 years ago
Richie ... I agree on not replanting in the same spot, at least not for a couple of years. However, if it's any consolation... I have SIX of your babies, growing beautifully and quite large. So if you need to replace it in a couple of years, I can "re-gift" one!!
Richard Dollard
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks marty, I have quite a few growing in back of the garage myself. I am thinking that if I had the shrub in more sunlight that maybe, just maybe it would have been ok.