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What's wrong with my Forest Flame?

#1 · 4th October 2023, 10:33 pm

Hi Lee. Spoke to you briefly on Insta about my Pieris a few days back not sure you'll remember, but I said I'd pop on here with more details to see if you can help? I've had the plant about 7 years and it's always lived in a 3ft wide wooden planter quite happily. Grown considerably over the years without issue, in a partially shaded corner of our courtyard garden. In June we moved house and the plant is now North facing, but sheltered with conifers to one side of the garden and a six foot fence at the other side, with an open aspect to the West, so it gets a fair bit of sun from midday. No problems until mid July, when I noticed it was shedding its leaves.

Some branches are bare, some of them have small brown bumps on them and a lot of the leaves that haven't fallen, are mottled. I've topped up the compost, fed it seaweed feed and ericaceous granular feed too. It has started growing again, but despite this, the lower half of the plant is still bare/losing leaves.

Will it survive winter? How do I protect it? Any advice and your thoughts would be welcome. So sorry for some reason it won't let me upload pics on here. Really needed you to see them, so you could get a better idea of the problems

Uploaded files:

#2 · 5th October 2023, 8:22 am

Hi @my-tiny-garden

Please email me a pic at [email protected] and I'll take a look then add into the reply!

All the best

Lee

My tiny garden has reacted to this post.

#3 · 5th October 2023, 6:20 pm

Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 5th October 2023, 6:20 pm
Ahhh @my-tiny-garden,

Right, that looks very much like the Pieris lace bug which causes mottling and yellow leaves. Usually, yellow leaves on acidic-loving plants are caused by either chlorosis i.e. not enough sun or highly alkaline soil, However, upon further inspection, this is a mottled yellow more likely to be a sap-sucking insect. Let's look a bit further at what Lace Bugs are.

Pieris lace bugs are tiny insects that belong to the family Tingidae. They are common pests that primarily infest plants in the Pieris genus, which includes various species of evergreen shrubs like Pieris japonica (Japanese andromeda) and Pieris floribunda (mountain andromeda). These lace bugs feed on the sap of the plants, causing characteristic damage and stress to the host.

Identification of Pieris Lace Bugs:

- Adult lace bugs are small, around 1/8 inch long, and have transparent wings with a lace-like appearance. They are typically pale in colour and may have black markings.
- Nymphs (immature lace bugs) are smaller and wingless. They often have a more distinctive appearance, with black spots or markings.

Symptoms of Pieris Lace Bug Damage:

Pieris lace bugs feed by piercing plant tissues and sucking out sap, which leads to several visible signs of damage. And can cause a mottling look.

1. Yellowing mottled Leaves: Infested leaves typically turn yellow or pale green. This discolouration often starts on the upper sides of the leaves, where the lace bugs primarily feed.

2. Black Specks and Excrement: Lace bugs leave behind black, tar-like excrement (called "honeydew") on the undersides of leaves. This honeydew may be accompanied by black specks, which are the lace bug's fecal matter. It's sticky and obvious once you know to look on the underside of the leaves.

3. Tiny White Spots: As lace bugs feed, they create small, white, stippled spots on the upper leaf surface. These spots are where they have removed plant cells during feeding.

How to Treat Pieris Lace Bugs:

Managing Pieris lace bugs requires a combination of cultural, mechanical, and, if necessary, chemical control methods. Here's how to treat an infestation:

1. Washing up liquid and water in a sprayer:
- Applying horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to the undersides of leaves can smother and kill lace bugs. Dilute 1/4 which can block their spiracles and suffocate them.

2. Neem Oil:
- Neem oil, derived from the neem tree, is another natural option for controlling lace bugs. Dilute it according to the label and apply it to the foliage.

3. Predatory Insects:
- Encourage natural predators, such as ladybugs and lacewing larvae, which feed on lace bugs and their eggs. Planting nectar-rich flowers can attract these beneficial insects to your garden and avoid pesticides. I know this is more of a 'for the future' fix than a treatment. Providing habitats for lacewings to over winter like leaving herbaceous perennials to over winter can help.

4. Prune for Improved Air Circulation:
- Properly prune your Pieris shrubs to improve air circulation within the plant. This can make the environment less favourable for lace bugs. However, Pieris are very slow growing so I'd be cautious about pruning too much, I'd go for the neem oil or removal of affected leaves instead.

5. Monitor and Repeat:
- Regularly inspect your plants for signs of lace bug activity. Treatment may need to be repeated to fully control the population, as lace bugs can reproduce quickly.

I hope that helps! Let me know how you get on!

Lee

Ahhh @my-tiny-garden,

Right, that looks very much like the Pieris lace bug which causes mottling and yellow leaves. Usually, yellow leaves on acidic-loving plants are caused by either chlorosis i.e. not enough sun or highly alkaline soil, However, upon further inspection, this is a mottled yellow more likely to be a sap-sucking insect. Let's look a bit further at what Lace Bugs are.

Pieris lace bugs are tiny insects that belong to the family Tingidae. They are common pests that primarily infest plants in the Pieris genus, which includes various species of evergreen shrubs like Pieris japonica (Japanese andromeda) and Pieris floribunda (mountain andromeda). These lace bugs feed on the sap of the plants, causing characteristic damage and stress to the host.

Identification of Pieris Lace Bugs:

- Adult lace bugs are small, around 1/8 inch long, and have transparent wings with a lace-like appearance. They are typically pale in colour and may have black markings.
- Nymphs (immature lace bugs) are smaller and wingless. They often have a more distinctive appearance, with black spots or markings.

Symptoms of Pieris Lace Bug Damage:

Pieris lace bugs feed by piercing plant tissues and sucking out sap, which leads to several visible signs of damage. And can cause a mottling look.

1. Yellowing mottled Leaves: Infested leaves typically turn yellow or pale green. This discolouration often starts on the upper sides of the leaves, where the lace bugs primarily feed.

2. Black Specks and Excrement: Lace bugs leave behind black, tar-like excrement (called "honeydew") on the undersides of leaves. This honeydew may be accompanied by black specks, which are the lace bug's fecal matter. It's sticky and obvious once you know to look on the underside of the leaves.

3. Tiny White Spots: As lace bugs feed, they create small, white, stippled spots on the upper leaf surface. These spots are where they have removed plant cells during feeding.

How to Treat Pieris Lace Bugs:

Managing Pieris lace bugs requires a combination of cultural, mechanical, and, if necessary, chemical control methods. Here's how to treat an infestation:

1. Washing up liquid and water in a sprayer:
- Applying horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to the undersides of leaves can smother and kill lace bugs. Dilute 1/4 which can block their spiracles and suffocate them.

2. Neem Oil:
- Neem oil, derived from the neem tree, is another natural option for controlling lace bugs. Dilute it according to the label and apply it to the foliage.

3. Predatory Insects:
- Encourage natural predators, such as ladybugs and lacewing larvae, which feed on lace bugs and their eggs. Planting nectar-rich flowers can attract these beneficial insects to your garden and avoid pesticides. I know this is more of a 'for the future' fix than a treatment. Providing habitats for lacewings to over winter like leaving herbaceous perennials to over winter can help.

4. Prune for Improved Air Circulation:
- Properly prune your Pieris shrubs to improve air circulation within the plant. This can make the environment less favourable for lace bugs. However, Pieris are very slow growing so I'd be cautious about pruning too much, I'd go for the neem oil or removal of affected leaves instead.

5. Monitor and Repeat:
- Regularly inspect your plants for signs of lace bug activity. Treatment may need to be repeated to fully control the population, as lace bugs can reproduce quickly.

I hope that helps! Let me know how you get on!

Lee

My tiny garden has reacted to this post.

#4 · 5th October 2023, 8:20 pm

Thanks so much for that Lee. As you suggested, I think I'll try the Neem oil first and let you know on here or directly to your email, when/if there are any signs of improvement. I don't want to prune it unless absolutely necessary because it's taken 7 years to get it to a height of 3 to 4 ft. 🥷👍