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Black Chokeberry Yellowing leaves #878258

Asked July 22, 2024, 1:04 PM EDT

Hello there! I purchased a black chokeberry from Chesapeake Natives in the spring. It is in partial shade, moist soil, lots of organic matter. I planted it near where I dug up an invasive honeysuckle bush in the spring, and removed invasive ivies the summer before. I try to water it once a week. When I got it, the stick it was sprouting on wasn't alive but figured that was okay. It was doing just fine until recently. I noticed a couple of weeks ago (I think?!) it had a yellow leaf, and the yellowing continues. I have noticed that the soil around it has been disturbed, perhaps by a tunneling animal (so frustrating). There are also holes on the mother stick, which honestly could have been there before. I also noticed that my soil nearby is coffee ground like, but I haven't seen any jumping worms. My question is do you know what's happening to it? and is there anything I should do?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

Hi, 

The leaf yellowing just appears to be a stress symptom that is probably from heat or some drought stress. They will eventually work their way out or off. The chewed leaf could be any number of leaf chewing insects but looks potentially as if a leaf cutter bee chewed some leaves to build a nest somewhere. Jumping worms, while not native, are so wide spread now that and are very difficult to get rid of that we tend not to worry about them so much. 

It just seems like it is getting adapted to the new growing conditions right now. You can prune off the garden steak or dead larger branches and let the rest of the branches grow at the bottom. It is more of a shrub like variety than a tree type. 

A little leaf yellowing and drop is normal in the heat and lack of rain. 

Emily

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 22, 2024, 1:48 PM EDT

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