Barberry Fungus Maybe - Ask Extension
Last year three of these plants contracted a fungus the even when treated with fung-oil? only managed to survive. This spring all bloomed with great ...
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Barberry Fungus Maybe #479012
Asked August 17, 2018, 5:21 PM EDT
Last year three of these plants contracted a fungus the even when treated with fung-oil? only managed to survive. This spring all bloomed with great fervor, until mid June when the fungus returned and spread to 10 other plants in two other locations within 200 yards. Fung-oil is maybe working. Note that adjacent lilacs, spireas, etc are NOT affected.
First, are these really barberrys? Second, is this a fungus? Third, can it be treated or should I replace with alternative plants? Thank you
Carver County Minnesota
Expert Response
They look like barberries. Do they have thorns? They look like they have a leaf spot. Here is a link to look at compare the symptoms to yours. If they have a leaf spot and this is the second year you may not be able to prune out the infected plant material and may need to replace them with something else. Wet weather makes things worse and they do not like to be too wet for long. You could try cleaning up all of the foliage this fall and disposing of it then treating them with a fungicide next spring early but they may not look great again. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/barberry-shrub-diseases-55729.html .
