What are the cultural conditions? What is different now from what was happening then? Is it potted in soilless potting mix that has decomposed and become poorly aerated? Has there been some hard weather lately? And so on.

In other words: nothing you have said so far will enable anyone to tell you what you want to know. You must provide more information to get useful responses. Perhaps your best bet would be to take the plant (if potted, and therefore portable) to a local nursery (or Master Gardener clinic) and discuss it with them. Otherwise, perhaps a cut branch would turn out to be adequate.

Hi umeume
Ron made very good point. without detailed information we cannot help.
you wrote "I have no idea as to how to help it recover"
we have no idea how we can help unless you provide more infomation. weather condition, your area zone . type of soil, what did you do to sansho last time, sun or shade, how you water , in pot? or in ground? . did you made suport when planted and how? . any indication of pest of nematoda ? did you feed sunsho , what kind fertilizer you have used ? those are very impotant informations to respond to your question.

while we do not enough informations ," We have no idea how we can help you" Ron and I both makeing living in landscaping, hulticulture and some one else can help you if you supplies enough information.
yama

Thank you for your response. I will try to give more detailed information.

I live in northern Mississippi. I believe this is zone 7.

The tree has been grown from a sansho root. It is now 5 ft tall. It is nearly 2 years old and has been growing outside for nearly that entire time.

It is planted outside in (compact clay soil.) But I have mixed the clay with potting soil & sand. It is planted on the North side of the house to receive the afternoon sun.

I live in a new housing development and there are no earthworms in the soil.

There are no visible signs of insect damage.

The only other plants near the sansho are flowers (tulips.)

I generally us a fertalizer called 13-13-13 and sometimes miracle grow. I fertalize it once every two months.

I usually water the sansho in accordance with the weather.

The sansho is supported by a bamboo stake tied loosely with a cotton string.

MS has a moderate climate. We have a gradual turn from winter to summer. The only strong weather of recent was one week of bad rain and strong wind storms. We had about 5" of rain in one weeks period. There has been no unusually cold weather or frost.

Since my first email the tree has gotten worse. All the leaves are yellowish brown, dry, and crispy.

Please let me know if you have any tips.

Thank you all for your time and expertise.

Hi
Ms weather is fine .zone 7 is perfect.
you should stop fertilizeng . try not use miracle grow and 13-13-13 those fertilizer make soil ph below desiable range of soil ph. feed lime and gypsum .4~5 cup of lime and gypsum 8 ~ 10 circle of sansho now and october again.

try to use ironite and bone meal , cow manure or chichem manure stay away 13-13-13 for a while . if you want use chemical fertilizer try to use slow release frtilizer. it is more expensive than 13-13-13. but sansho tree do not come by easely.

in geneal sansho tree like semi shade area, or 5~6 hours of direct sun not all day sun . it will grow all day sun how ever. it has shallow roots system, can not transplants.
there are male tree and female tree . you need to have both to have seed. you can tell male or female only by flower. you can propagate from seeds easely. also you can propagate from cutting. propagate from cutting, it took me more than 10 years to master propagate without proper equipments. normaly sansho tree do not have much of pest problem.
mulch you sansho with pine staw or any material you can get localy .
if you need to know more, you can send me e mail or post here again ...... yama

Hi,
Mike has very good ideas about alternatives to the fertilizer you have been using. But please be aware that if the roots are stressed, ANY fertilizer could be too much for awhile. Where did the leaves first begin turning yellow? Also, when it rained 5" in a week, did the water drain away immediately, or was there standing water around your house? Even though Sansho tree likes moisture, roots can be killed by standing in water that doesn't drain. If leaves lowest on the tree / farthest from new tips turned yellow first, that is often a sign that the tree is standing in too much water.

To see if the tree is still alive, and if new growth can be brought back, try scratching through the bark with your thumbnail on several of the branchlets. If the layer just below the bark is still bright green, then your tree will probably flush out new growth as it recovers. But if it is dry or brown under the bark, then it is already dead.

Good luck, I hope you're able to save it!

Susan

Thank you all for your information and help.

Yama, I will definately begin to treat my sansho as you suggested.

As Susan pointed out, I believe the bottom leaves started turning first. So more than likely the rain killed it. I will do my best to make certain the tree is never in standing water.

I am happy to say, I have a new very tiny (6") sansho (w/ a few tiny green leaves) begining to grow. But it's not from the dying tree. It is another a friend gave me. I will care for this one as you suggested Yama. Since you have grown sansho's before, if you have any sansho hints or advice on growing I would love to hear them.

I will let you know how the tree does in the future.

Thanks again,
Hisami (umeume)

Hi Hisami san
sansho has several cultivars and variety
some has thorn , some do not have thorn. I like one has thorn which has strong smell than thorn less.
some cultivar are selcted for seeds production. some are for leaf and flowers for gurnish. it will grow 15 ~18 feet tall. most wild one grow often near creek, bottom of valley. sansho has shallow roots system . keep people and equipment away from sansho.
13-13- 13- will leach out less than two month. those cheap fertilizer do not last long / sorry to say "cheep" but it is true. hehehe.
sansho's roots system are tender. do not have much of hair roots/tiny roots. sansho can not trans plant well.
like susan said you should not feed fertilizer when plants are under stress. wait untill end of august or september

before sansho leaf brown it's self in late october or eraly november,you can hervest leaf
and dry it in microwaive oven for few minut or air dry it. once leave are crisp, you can broke into small pieces , and use for cooking mix with "shichimi togarashi" hot peper

while sansho is small do not hervest young leave too many,
first3`4 years of seeding use it only youself in samll amount of leave. do not give it to your friends :) :) :)
again do not give leaf to your friends untll sansho is mature. sansho donot take strong pruning . once it mature kep sansho in small size. so that it is easy to hervest leave. my sansho flowered within one year from cutting. sansho from seeding should have flower 3thd or 4 th year. take look closely when it flower. flwoer are slightly different from male /female flower. if you send me e mail and give address I will send you copy of sansho flwoers illustration .
commercial grower In japan, normaly remove all flowers untill 6~7 years old. if sansho tree bare fruits in young age it will slow down growth . but for home owner after 4~5 years old sansho can have seeds, try controle not have full seeds, remove half of seeds in early stage of seeds production when tree is young.
by the end of Augast or early September, sansho seeds are going to be mature. keep them in moist sand but not wet sand, burry then in ground untill next year. if seeds are kept on tree too long it wll not germinate well ( untill fall or winter) most will not germinate.

I am looseing home and sansho trees, I have been tending for sansho trees for long time my wife , is takeing home . I have to start all over. if you know seeds source will you let's me know?
most sansho I sold or gave were all male sansho tree. I can not go back home to take cutting nor cannot go near. since I live apartment now can not grow it now . later I want to try it at new home .
if you have more question please let's me to know . you can send e amil to me also................... yama

... and of course everyone except myself knew that Sansho is the Chinese Pepper shrub, being Xanthoxylum piperitum..., of which the female is preferable, best grown in full sun and makes an enjoyable bonsai as well...edzard

Well, to be honest, edzard, I had to do some google work to ascertain exactly what the specific epithet might be....it was quite entertaining to try to say "Xanthoxylum" quickly several times in a row. :)

Susan

well edzrd it was good try.
when I said sansho is native plants of Japan it is not necesery that sansho is only native of Japan It is also native of korea and China. befor humam record histry, japan was part of main land . To be fair , I should say sansho are naitive of North america , china , Koria and Japan. sorry to say to Edzard but..... I don't think canada is not included .........hehehe.. I have smile of devil ............. mike

... see, there ya go again.. just because it is still freezing at night up here, doesn't mean we're supposed to be left out in the cold... ha, Susan, try saying Xanthoxylum in Japanese 3 times, goes for you too Mike, ya, go ahead and do it the easy way, make things simple and call it sansho-o... fine with me...
:), edzard

...on a finer note, Hisami, I'd get at least 2/5's sand, (& pumice is better,) in that soil mix, gee, I forgot they don't grow here..

Hisame, how old is your house? You said that your sansho is near the house. If your construction is fairly new, and you have a concrete foundation or concrete basement walls, it's very possible that there is still lime leaching into the nearby soil and possibly making the environment too alkaline. While you are still investigating and working on a solution, take the time and effort to do a pH test on the soil too. It could reveal information that would strongly affect all your other efforts.

Susan

A bit more botany: Zanthoxylum (Xanthoxylum) belongs to the Rutaceae, the same family as Choisya, Citrus, Poncirus, Skimmia, Phellodendron and others. There are around 200-250 species, widely distributed. Z. piperitum (Japan pepper) is native to Japan, Korea and N. China. It has been cultivated in the West since at least 1877.

Hi all

Ron: where have you been ? :):):) . work kept you busy....

Hisami san: you take small amount of soil to Extension servive. it will cost you only few dollars. call extetention service for instraction of " how to take soil samples" before you go. do not smoke while takeing soil sample, small amount of ash got into soil cause inacurate test result......:):):) Nihoga no hoga ii desuyo ne. .. mike

Yama, B and T world seeds lists Z. piperitum and the Canadian botanical garden vandusen.plantexplorers has a listing but will not ship outside of Canada. I have yet to try B and T myself so I cant vouch for them.

While I'm here I would appreciate a definate answer on the Sansho\Fagara mystery. I realize that Shanso referres to the leaves and it seems that Fagara referres to the seedpods however the spcies Z. Fagara seems not to have either of these characteistics and is referred to as wild lime. If anyone can put me straight on this apparent discrepancy please do so. Silphion.

Edzard, thanks for the Genus! I think probably lots of us hadn't a clue.

Yama-san, et al, Yes the local species (So Florida, Eastern TX, down into Mexico) is known as the tooth-ache tree as it has an anesthetic property when the the bark is chewed. This is one of those plants that inspire forestry students in the magic of nature! It is also known as Hercules Club for its trunk and stem character. Yama-san, I see bonsai potential - domo!

The local species and its variations like neutral to acid, but definitely well drained soils in higher rainfall areas. In east Texas to Southern US, it is found along fence lines. I guess the birds like the seeds and feel the need to take a break after such an experience?

SilverVista- after chewing the bark or leaf, you can't say anything correctly! The bark caries well in a first aid kit for several months. It will definitely make your mouth water.

I'm with Edzard and Yama; it's a soil thing (leaves going from the bottom up clinches it for me). New England soil may be rocky but I thank my stars daily I don't have to deal with bathtub clay...

Hello,

Can anyone provide some "how to" tips for growing sansho from both the seed form as well as from plant clippings? I've ordered seeds through Amazon and Ebay. They have come from China, Japan and the USA. I've tried to propagate them indoors in little 4 inch starter pots under a grow light and heating pad. They havent taken. Do I need to stratify them? Also, years ago, my aunt gave me 2 sansho plants that she grew from cuttings from her "mother plant". They were well established when I received them. I also live in Toronto, Canada, so the winter weather is really harsh. I have them outside in pots in the spring, summer and early fall. They are brought in for the winter and stay in a cool bay window while they go dormant (in the same pots). I'd like to try propagating them from cuttings, but need some help. I have rooting hormones, but I'm wondering if it might be more successful to try to root them without clipping. Has anyone done this already? I've tried taking clipping in the past, but without success. Any help and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Kathy from the north.....