Shrubs - Pyracanthas
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  I have a pyracantha that I planted three or four years ago. It gets full sun. It has grown to be huge, but it has never produced a single berry. I plant many berry producing shrubs and trees specifically for wild birds. Should I give up on this plant and try something else? 

  Does your plant even bloom? Pyracanthas typically are good berry producers every year, especially in full sun. Are you fertilizing too much? If planted in an extremely rich environment, and then given extra nitrogen, they will get into a growth mode to the exclusion of fruit. Avoid extra nitrogen fertilizer and try some super phosphate. Hopefully, you will get flowers and berries next season.

  Please identify the problem with the enclosed pyracantha bushes. It has been so beautiful for years, and then last year the leaves started falling off. I have sprayed with Malathion and dormant oil, but they didn’t work. It is about twenty feet tall. Should I cut it back? It has several dead limbs on it.

  Pyracantha tends to be plagued with spider mites, and your plant appears to have had a good case of them. Spider mites like a hot, sunny area, the same as pyracanthas. The damage that has been done to the leaves, is not going to go away, but new foliage should take its place in the spring. To help rejuvenate these plants, prune them back by one third before new growth begins. Prune out any dead wood. Lightly fertilize them as new growth begins. Watch for signs of damage this season. Spider mites generally get active when warm conditions begin. Malathion can give you some control, but nothing is going to give much control after the damage occurs. Orthene is another control that works well, and doesn’t require as thorough a coverage. Don’t wait for severe damage to occur before you start worrying about them.

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