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Newly planted chokeberry's leaves turning, dropping

butterflygal21797

18 years ago

Last weekend I purchased and planted a red chokeberry (aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima'). Two days ago, I noticed that almost half the leaves had turned a reddish yellow (from pictures I've seen, this would appear to be the fall coloration). The plant wasn't droopy or unhealthy looking. Today, many of those leaves have dropped, and more appear to have changed color. Has anyone else experienced this after planting this or another shrub, and should I be concerned?

I watered the shrub well when I planted it, and again several days later (after I noticed the change in coloration). It was not rootbound when I removed it from its pot for planting; the roots looked healthy and vigorous.

Could this be a normal reaction to the stress of having the roots disturbed during the planting process?

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Comments (7)

hoyess
18 years ago
I have had the same thing happen with one of three new Aronia Autumn Magic I purchased last week while still in the pot. I thought perhaps it was the cold snap we had earlier that caused the change (mine turned orange). Did you have a strong cold snap earlier while they were in pots?

Sharon
Lynda Waldrep
18 years ago
I just noticed that several of my small sourwoods, two to three feet tall, have developed drooping leaves. We have had so much rain recently that I thought maybe that was the reason, but my Aronias look OK. Is there a mildew/fungus thingie going on due to the weather?
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Thanks! Here's a top down view of the plant, and another picture of damaged leaves. I dug down and the soil was somewhat dry, so I watered thoroughly.
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butterflygal21797
Original Author
18 years ago
We've had a wet, unseasonably cool spring so far here in central Maryland, but right after I planted this shrub, we had several days of hot, dry weather, so maybe that has something to do with it. The funny thing is that the leaves on the plant aren't droopy at all, ncrescue. They seem healthy, they're just changing color and dropping off. Plant definitely seems to think it's fall. I read somewhere on the web that transplant shock could cause leaf drop, so I'm hoping that's what this is, but since this happened to yours, Sharon, while they were still in the pot, it's hard to say what's going on.

Thanks for the replies. Guess we'll just have to wait it out and see what happens.
dandy_line (Z3b N Cent Mn)
18 years ago
Or, when you planted it you got air pockets that kept the roots from getting waterred. It may make sense to get more water on them. I don't believe you can over water this genus so douse them good.
Canaanski2012
14 years ago
The same thing has happened to my 3 red chokeberries. The leaf color change (yellowish-orange) started before I had a chance to get the plants in the ground, so I was attributing it to stress. I too live in Maryland. At this point I will leave them planted and see what the summer brings. Soil was amended; good drainage; twice weekly watering; a little fertilizer.
Shirlee Berman
10 years ago
I have a red chokeberry and some of the leaves just started to turn bright red today (May 27). This is the plant's 3rd spring and the first time this has happened. It's been very wet, so I don't think lack of water is an issue. Interested to hear what happened to the plants mentioned in the earlier comments.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
10 years ago
I think that many plants this year think that this cool san[ means fall. WE had one further south and all sorts of plants that bloom in response to cool fall days have gone into bud. I think it is being talked about in reference to praise grasses and stuff .

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