Black chokeberry sick, what can I do? - Ask Extension
Hello I have a young black chokeberry I planted this spring/summer, it is looking quite sickly and losing leaves.
What is causing this and what can...
Knowledgebase
Black chokeberry sick, what can I do? #814098
Asked October 13, 2022, 12:18 AM EDT
Hello I have a young black chokeberry I planted this spring/summer, it is looking quite sickly and losing leaves.
What is causing this and what can I do to stop/prevent further damager and get it back to health?
District of Columbia County District of Columbia
Expert Response
No intervention is needed at this time, and when their roots are growing well, Chokeberries tend to be reliably vigorous shrubs. The foliage damage is due to some mild sap-sucking insect feeding (it looks like stippling from lace bugs) and possibly a similarly-mild fungal leaf spot. Cleaning-up shed foliage once it dies off on its own later this autumn might help reduce the likelihood of recurrence next year, but if they blow away before this can happen, it's not critical. Lace bugs have several predators that help to suppress them (especially when pesticide use is minimized) and they do not tend to cause serious damage on deciduous plants. Leaf infections late in the season also don't deprive the plant of much photosynthetic ability since they had the rest of the growing season to make and store carbohydrates to fuel the start of next year's growth. Plus, the portions of the leaf not infected are still serving the plant's needs.
Miri
Miri