Rust Disease - Ask Extension
I purchase it a couple years ago because the berries are a bird favorite. I planted it in my front yard in front of my office window to watch the bird...
Knowledgebase
Rust Disease #870119
Asked May 26, 2024, 6:10 AM EDT
I purchase it a couple years ago because the berries are a bird favorite. I planted it in my front yard in front of my office window to watch the bird activity. Soon after I learned about rust disease which, if there is a Cedar tree in the vicinity, attacks the berries. So I have a very large cedar tree in my back yard. (see attached).
I am trying to decide whether to give the Service Berry away to a place where it will bear healthy berries for the birds. I would probably replace it with a red maple or some other small tree. I would be interested in your take on this.
Thank you.
Joanna
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Joanna,
The Redcedar in the yard isn't guaranteed to be infected with rust, and a vulnerable Serviceberry could still contract an infection from wind-blown spores from infected redcedars nearly a mile away. Therefore, while having a Redcedar very close to a Serviceberry is a higher risk, it's not a given that they will share a rust infection between them. Plus, plant disease spread and severity can vary from year to year based on weather patterns, so an outbreak affecting all berries on year won't necessarily repeat itself to the same degree another year.
Serviceberry provides "ecosystem services" beyond just its fruits. Pollinators still visit its blooms, and any leaf-feeding caterpillars or other insects can still utilize the canopy. Since the threat of rust can detract from its value as a bird attractor with regards to fruit-eating birds, then it's reasonable to try another plant in that location. Otherwise, it's still worth keeping in our opinion, both for ecological and aesthetic reasons (showy flowers, showy fall foliage color).
When you mention "red maple," do you mean a red-leaved Japanese maple (an Acer palmatum cultivar)? Otherwise, Red Maple (Acer rubrum), our native species, does not mature small and will easily reach about 40 feet or more with maturity, and can't be kept smaller with pruning. Japanese Maple has exhibited invasive tendencies in some areas of Maryland, germinating seedlings in woodland understories, though we do not know which cultivars might produce fertile vs. sterile seeds. It has limited wildlife value, if that is important to you.
Other native small trees or large tree-like shrubs that produce berries for birds, if the site is mostly to partly sunny, include Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis), Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum), Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium), Crabapple (Malus, many cultivars...look for one with high disease resistance), and American Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), the latter of which will only fruit if female but which requires a male tree of the same species to pollinate it. Finding sexed trees at nurseries can be challenging, though.
Miri
The Redcedar in the yard isn't guaranteed to be infected with rust, and a vulnerable Serviceberry could still contract an infection from wind-blown spores from infected redcedars nearly a mile away. Therefore, while having a Redcedar very close to a Serviceberry is a higher risk, it's not a given that they will share a rust infection between them. Plus, plant disease spread and severity can vary from year to year based on weather patterns, so an outbreak affecting all berries on year won't necessarily repeat itself to the same degree another year.
Serviceberry provides "ecosystem services" beyond just its fruits. Pollinators still visit its blooms, and any leaf-feeding caterpillars or other insects can still utilize the canopy. Since the threat of rust can detract from its value as a bird attractor with regards to fruit-eating birds, then it's reasonable to try another plant in that location. Otherwise, it's still worth keeping in our opinion, both for ecological and aesthetic reasons (showy flowers, showy fall foliage color).
When you mention "red maple," do you mean a red-leaved Japanese maple (an Acer palmatum cultivar)? Otherwise, Red Maple (Acer rubrum), our native species, does not mature small and will easily reach about 40 feet or more with maturity, and can't be kept smaller with pruning. Japanese Maple has exhibited invasive tendencies in some areas of Maryland, germinating seedlings in woodland understories, though we do not know which cultivars might produce fertile vs. sterile seeds. It has limited wildlife value, if that is important to you.
Other native small trees or large tree-like shrubs that produce berries for birds, if the site is mostly to partly sunny, include Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis), Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum), Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium), Crabapple (Malus, many cultivars...look for one with high disease resistance), and American Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), the latter of which will only fruit if female but which requires a male tree of the same species to pollinate it. Finding sexed trees at nurseries can be challenging, though.
Miri
