newly planted 'rose glow' barberry...

[buzzcut]

I planted this shrub a little over a month ago. I've noticed the growth, mostly near the base of the plant, are turning a yellow/pink/red color---a few appear to even have a little black on them. a few have just turned plain red. some of these "discolored" leaves will fall off just to the touch. don't believe moisture is the problem---between hand watering during our "hot stretch" and the rains, it's been quite sufficient.

this is my first experience with barberry, so, just wondering if this could be stress from the planting, or, might this require some type of spray regimen? really hoping not to lose the shrub.

btw, it is planted near the walkway on west side of house. starts getting sun around 11am or so, and lasts till almost sunset. so, sun shouldn't be the problem.
tia

[Hortman]

Hey buzzcut. Sorry to hear about your barberry. The problem could be stress from
planting but let’s dig deeper. Make sure that the crown of the plant (transition zone
between the trunk and the roots) is not buried. That will cause stress.
Does the plant have any new top growth? If it does, then it could be the plant just
balancing out its top growth with its roots. It could also be a fungus. Can you post a
picture for us. One of the whole plant and one of the bad leaves would really help.
Good luck and take care.

[buzzcut]

sorry, unable to post a pic.

well, doesn't seem to be a "fast" grower. what new growth there is, seems ok. much of the growth near the base and to approx middle of shrub (assuming older growth) is turning yellow, red, or yellowish/red mix. there are blackspots on the leaves that have discolorement---and some that have not discolored, yet. some of the blackspots appear to have a light colored ring around them. the blackspots go right thru to the back of the leaves.

I sure am hoping this is something that a spray should help.

[Hortman]

Hey buzzcut. Ken here again. From your description of the spots, it sounds like
you have bacterial speck. It is a fungus. With all the rain this year, it has been hard
to keep fungus at bay. There are a few things you can do to minimize the damage.
Number one, avoid overhead watering. Water the soil instead of the plant.
Number two, clean up the leaf debris under and around the plant on a regular basis.
Finally, you can apply neem oil as a preventative to stop further damage. Remember
to not spray oils when the sun is on the plant to prevent leaf burn. Good luck

[buzzcut]

thanks for your help!

just the other day, I started to use a fungicide. will follow those instructions---along with your advice!

we have had warm/hot, wet weather. not to mention the humidity!!! wheeew!

it really took its toll on the cattle in the upper midwest. a farmer not far from here lost 500. needless to say, he was pretty bummed!

[Kady_Bug]

I have a few different barberry varieties in my yard, including the rose glow. My favorite by far is the Japanese barberry. It seems to be a fairly fast grower and the red color is much more vibrant. You may want to try planting this variety sometime.