Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry Tree for Sale

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on April 20, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your serviceberry tree in a spot that gets good sunlight for at least four hours a day, in soil that drains well. Unpot the sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Throw a few handfuls of well-rotted manure or compost in the hole, and place the sapling on top of it. Fill in around the tree with good-quality topsoil, tamping down as you go to avoid air pockets. Water thoroughly. Place a 2- to 3-inch layer of an organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone, taking care that it does not touch the trunk.

Watering and nutrients

When newly planted, water your Autumn Brilliance serviceberry tree every few days, stopping when the water begins to pool around the root zone. Once the tree is established and you see signs of robust growth, taper back to a once-a-week watering. A mature tree may only need water during very hot weather or droughts. Fertilize your serviceberry tree during the growing season with a balanced, slow-release product that’s designed for landscape trees and shrubs. Follow package directions, tapering off during the winter.

Pollination

Serviceberry trees are monoecious, meaning that a single plant has both male and female reproductive parts. Thus, you can have fruit even if you have only one tree — although you may see an increased yield if you have more than one. Bees do the heavy lifting of pollinating the myriad flowers that the serviceberry puts forth every spring.

Pruning

There are a few pruning tasks that come with your Autumn Brilliance serviceberry. First, if you wish to grow your plant as a single-trunk tree, clip off any suckers that sprout from the base of the trunk whenever you see them. You can also prune at any time of the year to remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches, as well as those that are rubbing against each other. To shape the tree, prune in late winter before bud break or in autumn.

Pests, diseases, and animals

Serviceberry trees are generally healthy plants without a long list of pests and diseases that prey on them. They may occasionally experience insects such as aphids, bark beetles, and flatheaded borers. A well-maintained tree should be able to fend off any attacks, but an organic insecticide can be used, or you can release beneficial insects such as ladybugs. Diseases that may appear on your serviceberry include entomosporium leaf spot, fire blight, and rust. Rust and leaf spot are fungal diseases. Cut out infected areas, and use a fungicide to mitigate damage.

Harvesting

The Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry tree’s fruits will ripen in late June through July in most regions. Wait to harvest until two-thirds of the fruits are soft and a deep blue in color. The fruits are easily damaged and are best harvested by hand early in the day when it is cool and dry. They will continue to ripen after picking, and are best stored in the refrigerator and used within a week.

Achieving maximum results

Although they are relatively care-free, Autumn Brilliance serviceberry trees, like most fruit trees, benefit from judicious pruning. The trick to proper pruning is to take it slowly and to step back frequently from your work to assess the tree as a whole. When you are pruning for shape in spring or fall, one of the considerations you should have in mind is opening up the center of the canopy so that air and light can get in and benefit the whole tree. When making a pruning cut, it’s best to cut the branch back to a lateral branch, rather than just trimming off a few inches of new growth. Place your clippers just outside the branch collar, where the secondary branch meets with a larger one. Make sure the cut is clean, without accidentally peeling off bark or leaving a frayed edge to the cut.

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