Color leaves on a serviceberry

Question: Leaves have started to turn golden brown and then they fall off. Early spring it leaf out without any issues

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 19, 2024, 7:29 PM EDT
response: Thanks for your question.  It has been referred to me.  In looking at our history of your questions, I see that you planted this shrub in May 2021. You wrote to us in July 2021 and July 2023 about it.  Does this mean that you have been having problems with it for about three years, or does it look bad at some times and better at other times? Since you first brought this to our attention in July 2021, what remedial steps, if any, have you taken to improve the situation? Looking forward to your response.  Many thanks for using our forum.

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 21, 2024, 8:55 AM EDT
response: I have not taken steps to improve the situation, I was hoping someone would give me some advice on how to improve tree health. This year is worse than last year.  DougSent from my iPhoneDoug Smithson  On Jul 19, 2024, at 6:29 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:   ﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 21, 2024, 9:07 AM EDT
response: Thanks for getting back to us.  A couple of questions for you: 1).  Have you ever done an analysis on the soil in this garden? 2).  Are any other plants/shrubs affected in this garden? Thanks much!

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 21, 2024, 12:00 PM EDT
response: No soil samples taken. Other plants look okSent from my iPhoneDoug Smithson  On Jul 21, 2024, at 8:07 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:   ﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 21, 2024, 8:30 PM EDT
response: Sorry to keep asking you questions but it's the process whereby we might be able to get to the bottom of things. Have berries developed each season since you planted this service berry,  and do they look normal? My inclination at this point is to suspect a fungal infection that does not seriously threaten the tree, but I do need to know about the berries. Many thanks for any information you can provide.

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 22, 2024, 8:19 AM EDT
response: Yes it put on a lot of berries this spring, but the squirrels and birds ate all of them. Sent from my iPhoneDoug Smithson  On Jul 21, 2024, at 7:30 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:   ﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 22, 2024, 8:52 AM EDT
response: Thanks for the question and further responses. Based upon the information you’ve provided, I believe that we can rule out significant soil problems. If this was the case, other plants in your garden would be affected. The fact that your service berry seems to start out with green foliage in the spring and then develops yellow leaves later, is very consistent with some type of fungal infection. If an insect pest was involved, this pattern would be unexpected. Since you are getting berries formed, even though they are eaten, tells me that overall your plant is reasonably healthy. At this point, I think that two possibilities exist.  The first is some type of fungal infection affecting the leaves. Other than the yellowing of leaves, it is not having a significant impact on your service berry. Like most fungal infections, fungal spores are probably present in leaf debris on the ground. These spores are dormant during the winter months and then germinate in the spring while new foliage is developing on your service berry. As these spores grow on the new foliage, leaf yellowing occurs. So here is what I would suggest you do: 1). Submit plant samples from your service berry to a diagnostic disease laboratory for an analysis. This would be a definitive way of getting to the bottom of things. Both Wisconsin and Minnesota have excellent labs to do this. Before submitting anything to either of them, call first as to what type of samples should be submitted. Both have a nominal charge for their analysis. See https://pdc.umn.edu/ https://pddc.wisc.edu/clinic-overview/ 2). After having submitted plant samples and while waiting for the results, remove all yellow leaves (to the extent that you can) from the plant and discard in the trash.  From your pictures, I see leaves on the ground.  Rake the area under the service berry to collect and discard all these leav.   Continue this cleaning going into the fall. What you are trying to do is minimize the possibility of fungal spores being carried into 2025. 3). After you get the diagnostic results back, and if a fungal infection has been detected, get back to us so we can devise a procedure by which you will apply a fungicide to prevent recurrence of things in 2025. The second possibility is that there is no fungal infection, and the yellowing is largely due to heat stress and /or drought conditions over the past three years. These conditions will produce yellowing in the leaves.  This is dealt with by frequent and regular watering of your service berry during the growing season. This means providing at least an inch of water to the plant on a weekly basis. Good luck. Please get back to us with any additional, related questions. Thanks for using our forum.