Black spots on multiple plants

Question: I have a number of plants that develop small black spots and eventually grow in size to the point the leaf turns brown and dies.  The leaf goes from green / healthy => spotted => largely black => brown/dead.  I first noticed this on our newly planted apple trees, and later it spread to the pear trees, and eventually to our cone flowers.  We have a number of other plant types in our landscaping and garden, but they do not appear to be impacted.

The apple trees are hardest hit and were the first to show the issue.  The leaves at the top of the tree are largely all brown/dead while the lower leaves on the tree (shown here ) are showing spots.  The cone flowers are the newest to show this issue.

responder: *Please Note: If there is mention of trade names in this response, it is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute an endorsement of one product over another, nor is discrimination intended against any product.  Thank you for contacting Ask Extension. Please contact us again with any gardening questions you may have, or call the MSUE State Hotline at 1-888-678-3464  Replied July 27, 2023, 11:40 AM EDT
response: Hello David, Can you give me more information about your apple tree? When was it planted? Did you plant the tree or was it planted by the nursery? Can you send a picture of the entire tree? How old is the pear tree?  You may be looking at a couple of different problems with your trees and coneflower.   One of the most common diseases of apples is apple scab. It is easily identified when at the outbreak because the spots are olive-green; however, as the disease progresses in the summer and fall, the spots grow larger and turn brown. At this stage, the lesions can be confused with a number of other diseases due to the absence of the olive-green spores.  However, if this is the same disease that is affecting the pear tree and echinacea, it's probably not apple scab since that disease only affects apple trees. Pear trees can be infected with pear scab, but there is no cross-over to apple trees. The following is an excerpt from an article from the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program:  Pear scab, which the fungus V. pirina causes, results in similar blemishes on pear fruit. However, V. pirina won’t affect apples nor can the apple scab fungus, V. inaequalis, cause problems on pears. Both have quite limited host ranges.  There are many types of leaf spot that affect different flowers in the garden. Many are caused by over-crowding, poor air circulation, too much sun or shade, over/under-watering and many other environmental and weather conditions. These conditions, along with insects that carry diseases, can lead to fungal and bacterial diseases such as powdery mildew, Botrytis (grey mold), rust, wilt and others.  The following are a few links that give good information about various leaf spot diseases that could be affecting your plants. If you see any insects on the leaves, see if you can identify them or take a picture.  https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/diseases/apple_scab https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/leaf-spot-diseases-trees-and-shrubs https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/black-rot-apple  I would like to see a picture of the apple tree that seems to be dying from the top down. This could be a different problem.  I hope this information is helpful, and I'll wait for the picture of your apple tree and the answers to the questions.

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 28, 2023, 8:18 AM EDT
response: Hello,Thank you very much for getting back with me.  The apple and pear trees were planted this spring.  We have one Red Delicious and one Fuji and two Bartlett pear.  I planted them myself.  We got them from a nursery in Fowlerville.  I've attached full pictures of the four trees in question here.  Given the links and resources you provided, my unqualified opinion is that apple scab might not be the right diagnosis based on how my leaves look today vs. the examples in the reference pages.  Advanced apple scab leaf pictures don't match my pictures.  The examples don't appear to show fully brown leaves, or talk about a top-down type of issue like these trees show.  Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.As you can see in a few photos the leaves of some trees have holes.  We had a decent Japanese beetle infestation for a couple of weeks.  We have knocked them down quite a bit and they are no longer present in our yard.We are hoping to know if this issue with our trees is "fatal" or if we can expect a recovery next season.  We aren't trying to create an orchard, just trying to have a bit of fruit for the family in a few years time.  Should we call these trees a loss, or could we expect a recovery next year with some sort of treatment and prevention plan?When it comes to   On Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 11:40:48 AM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: *Please Note: If there is mention of trade names in this response, it is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute an endorsement of one product over another, nor is discrimination intended against any product.  Thank you for contacting Ask Extension. Please contact us again with any gardening questions you may have, or call the MSUE State Hotline at 1-888-678-3464  Replied July 31, 2023, 12:33 AM EDT
response: Hello David, Your trees have a good amount of insect damage; however, Japanese beetles rarely kill a mature tree. You do need to be more careful with newly planted trees, though. The black spots are mostly likely caused by a fungal disease. Check the articles I sent previously for how to treat black spot leaf problems.   I do believe the trees will survive, but they probably would need to be treated with a horticultural oil or a fungicide in the spring. Be sure to clean up any plant debris from around the trees. Insects and fungal diseases often overwinter in the leaves. I would suggest that you keep the receipt for the trees because most nurseries warranty trees for the first year. You may also  take the pictures to the nursery to get their advice about the trees. https://hles.unl.edu/japanese-beetles-now-what  I hope this helps, but if you need further information, please contact us again.