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Pyracantha

goddygoddy Posts: 35
in Problem solving
Hi, I have a pyracantha that for the first time has been full of berries. My query is: what do I now do with the berries still on the branches. I have noticed a lack of leaves. Do I leave them alone or do I cut them off? 

Posts

  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Birds love the berries, so you can leave those.  The plants can lose a few leaves in Winter, but as they are evergreen this shouldn't happen to any significant extent, unless the plant is diseased.  Does it look healthy?  Are there lots of brown leaves, as this can be a sign of Fireblight, a fungal disease to which they can be prone.

    The only reason you would generally need to touch the leaves is if you want to trim the plant into a specific shape.  In that case you may need to do 2-3 trims per year, depending on the amount of growth.  
  • goddygoddy Posts: 35
    Thank you Keenongreen, definitely no leaves! The berries have been on all winter and the birds haven't touched them but a lot of people including myself put food out for them. The berries are now going brown. Perhaps they will drop off, I don't know.
  • the enduring gardenerthe enduring gardener Posts: 122
    no harm in leaving them, otherwise it's a messy task. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited March 2020
    The uneaten berries will drop off @goddy.  :)
    Pyracanthas can suffer from fireblight, as @KeenOnGreen says, but if there's no sign of anything untoward, it may be just climactic conditions causing some leaf drop. Prolonged dry spells often encourage evergreens to drop foliage to preserve moisture, especially in mature specimens. That won't always happen at the time, but the effects will be seen later on. Keep an eye on it, and hopefully it''ll recover, if it's only that.
     
    It sounds a little odd if it's the first time it's had berries. Are there sufficient pollinators around when it flowers?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    I would trim off the berried stems and wait for flowers to appear on last year's growth, they will hopefully get pollinated and give you fresh berries late Summer into Winter. The blackbirds cannot resist them in my garden and always clean the shrub of them before the really bad weather sets in - then I feed them.
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • goddygoddy Posts: 35
    Thank you yorkshire rose.
  • goddygoddy Posts: 35
    Thank you also fairygirl.
  • c.humphreys712c.humphreys712 Posts: 36
    I've got a similar issue with four of my pyracantha. I've still got stacks of berries from last year but very little new green growth. I've now fed it with Miracle Grow (probably wasn't feeding or watering it enough but I thought they were hardy) but should I also give it an iron feed as some of their leaves are yellow/light green? Many thanks!
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