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Golden barberry, yearly problem #872311

Asked June 09, 2024, 4:56 PM EDT

My barberry shrubs start out great. Around this time each year, they start to develop small brown spots. The leaves eventually dry up and fall off leaving mostly bare branches. I see no evidence of pests. In previous years, I assumed the problem was high heat and humidity, but we haven’t had that this year. I have not been able to find help on Google. This is the perfect time to show the problem, because it is just beginning to show up. See pics attached.

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

Do they recover over the summer? If so you may have gotten some herbicide drift.  It could also be a number of other issues.  Compare what you are seeing with the following website diagnostics.
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/barberry/
MaryKay, Master Gardener, Tree Care Advisor Replied June 13, 2024, 11:30 PM EDT
No. From this point on they will get worse and worse. 


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On Jun 13, 2024, at 10:30 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied June 14, 2024, 8:27 AM EDT
It sounds like a leaf spot disease-probably bacterial. Typically they overwinter in the soil and then start up again in the spring. Cleaning up all the leaves as they fall is one key to preventing the return in the spring.  You could send a sample to the Plant Disease Clinic for a diagnosis.
1. https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/leaf-spot-diseases-trees-and-shrubs
2. https://pdc.umn.edu/
MaryKay, Master Gardener, Tree Care Advisor Replied June 18, 2024, 5:31 PM EDT

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