Need advice for lilac bush.?

My lilac bush does not have very many leaves and the lilac blossoms are tiny and sparse. The entire bush is almost bare. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Need advice for lilac bush.?
Lilacs grow best in full sun and well-drained soil, where they take two to three years to establish themselves in a new site. Once established they can live for centuries. Soil pH (alkalinity or acidity of the soil) may affect the plant%26#039;s growth. Lilacs do well in a slightly acid to alkaline soil. Where I live, the soil can be very acidic and require modification for optimal lilac growth. Contact your county agricultural extension service or local botanical garden for soil-testing information and instructions for altering soil pH.





To ensure abundant flowering, cut off all spent blossoms each year and prune the flowering stem back to a set of leaves in order to prevent seeds forming, thereby directing the energy usually spent on seeds to next year%26#039;s flower production. If this is not done, good flowering years may be followed by bad.





When the plant becomes leggy, renewal pruning is required. Remove about one-third of the oldest stems at ground level each year for three years. This encourages the growth of vigorous new stems from the base. By the end of the three years the plant should be fully rejuvenated with its blossoms once more at nose level.





The plants should be fertilized in early spring and again directly after flowering with an all-purpose fertilizer such as a 10-10-10, watered in well. And tough as lilacs are, they need supplemental water during periods of drought.





In my area, the most serious insect pests are the lilac borer (Podosesia syringae var. syringa) and the oyster-shell scale (Lepidosaphes ulmi). Borers signal their presence by leaving eighth-inch-sized holes in stems and larger branches, often one to two feet above ground level. Oyster-shell scale, which looks like small, elongated, brown or gray warts on the stems, can be controlled by pruning out the most heavily infested branches, followed by an application of dormant oil spray.
Reply:After the flowering is done FEED it ! Bone meal to the soil for next year%26#039;s blooms and Miracle Grow for the growing this year.
Reply:Cut it way back in the fall (It will recover with a vengance). For example, if your bush were 8 feet tall, cut it back to 4 feet. Cut the shoots that are growing up all over the ground. Give it a Fertilize it well (as another poster said, Acid fertilizer). Give it a deep water
Reply:This was not a good year for lilacs in the Northeastern US! Due to the late cold, cold weather we had, the lilac blossoms were very small. Many people I know lost their lilac bushes this year! After having them for many, many year. Be thankful if your are still alive! Hopefully, next year will be kinder to lilac bushes!
Reply:Sounds like low acid in the soil...give it a dose of %26quot;Muracid%26quot;, made by the makers of %26#039;Miracle Grow%26#039;, you should notice some improvement in a week or so. Not a huge improvement though, cuz this is something you shoulda done a few weeks ago, but it%26#039;ll help.



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