Serviceberry tree looking bad - Ask Extension
I planted a serviceberry tree 3-4 years ago. This summer it has yellow and brown affecting nearly all the leaves. When cutting back some of the branch...
Knowledgebase
Serviceberry tree looking bad #846386
Asked August 19, 2023, 1:20 PM EDT
I planted a serviceberry tree 3-4 years ago. This summer it has yellow and brown affecting nearly all the leaves. When cutting back some of the branches, I saw some lesions on a branch and found several others on the tree
Cuyahoga County Ohio
Expert Response
Good morning and thank you for your question. It appears that there are multiple things going on here with your serviceberry. The scars you are seeing on the branch are from female cicadas laying their eggs. This can be damaging to branches on young trees. However, I do not think that this is what you are seeing on the entire tree. The leaves are displaying symptoms of leaf scorch which is not surprising with the high temperatures we've had lately. Your final photo is a branch with lichens on it. Lichens are composed of a fungus and green algae. They are completely harmless to the tree. Here are a few references for further reading:
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/366
https://whatgrowsthere.com/grow/2017/07/07/causes-of-sudden-leaf-scorch/
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-gen-12
Here's hoping that it starts to cool down soon. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks.
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/366
https://whatgrowsthere.com/grow/2017/07/07/causes-of-sudden-leaf-scorch/
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-gen-12
Here's hoping that it starts to cool down soon. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks.
Thanks for the explanations. This is the first time I've seen any of the symptoms.
Will the damage from the cicadas hurt the tree (e.g., when the eggs hatch)? Should I do anything about it (e.g., cut off and dispose of the branches)? Is there anything I should do in future years to prevent the damage? Is the damage below from the cicadas? The bottom picture looks like it has a black mold on it....?
My neighbor's oak had the symptoms shown (in the cicada article) last summer, but shows none of that damage this year. Further, the damage to the branches on my tree didn't create the "flags" shown in the article you attached, so I'm wondering if it is something else?
See these images below - They are the same place on the tree, but look worse than would be made by a cicada ovipositor. I had a hard time getting these to come out well, but note that the entire branch toward the trunk from this "wound" is black.
Also, when I went back out to look at the tree this morning, I noticed that nearly ALL the places where a branch splits from the trunk, or where they branch farther out, there is kind of scarring...I don't know if that's significant or not.
Leaf Scorch
The photos in the leaf scorch article look similar, but note that this is the ONLY tree that seems to be affected. I have a Japanese maple with no signs of stress (it's not in direct sun, but I don't water it usually); There is also a river birch in the same sunny spot, with some leaf drop, but not the major damage as the serviceberry. Also outside the fence in the green space there are a couple very large trees without signs of the leaf scorch. I don't know if this is a factor, but the serviceberry is right next to my compost pile....
Thanks for your input
Good afternoon, the scars from the cicadas are old oviposition scars, so no need to cut off any branches. Most established trees can handle some cicada damage and be fine. If you are not seeing any recent flagging, then that is likely old damage. It is possible that you are seeing sooty mold which grows on the sticky excretions of sucking insects such as aphids or scale. Although not common, serviceberry trees are also susceptible to fire blight which is a bacterial disease, which may be causing the cankers or wounds that you see. The bacterial ooze turns black upon exposure to the air. With the multitude of things going on with this tree, I would encourage you to submit a sample to our diagnostic clinic, or perhaps have an arborist come out and take a look. Here is information on submitting a sample: https://ppdc.osu.edu/submit-sample
I wish you all the best with your tree. Thank you for your questions.
I wish you all the best with your tree. Thank you for your questions.
