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If you think that with the planting of cherry seedlings your mission is over, you are deeply mistaken. To achieve a good harvest, you need to provide the trees with proper care. Also, take care of their health. To your attention the most dangerous diseases of cherries, methods of their treatment. Photos will help us figure it out.
Common factors causing cherry diseases:
- climate;
- weather;
- correctness, peculiarity of care;
- soil condition;
- tree injury;
- implementation or lack of preventive measures;
- the presence of other fruit trees in the garden;
- destruction (or not) of pests;
- other unpredictable factors.
perforated spotting
Clasterosproiasis is a common disease of stone fruit trees caused by a fungus. High humidity in hot or warm weather contributes to its appearance. For wintering, spores of the fungus choose the affected areas of the cherry. They infect healthy tissues. The pathogen is carried by rain, wind, insects.
The first symptoms of the disease are noticed already in early spring. The leaves are covered with dotted spots. Their red color gradually reaches brown. The spots have a crimson blurry border. This distinguishes perforated spot from other fungal diseases of cherries.
The diameter of the spots soon becomes up to 5 mm. In their place, holes appear due to drying (hence the name of the disease). Soon the perforated leaves fall off. In addition to leaves, flowers, cuttings, buds, fruits are affected. Young infected shoots are distinguished by a bright red edging that increases in length. They secrete a liquid (gum). If the sprouts are severely affected, then they soon dry out, then fall off. Sick flowers darken, then crumble. The buds turn black, releasing gum, dry out, but remain on the tree. These signs are clearly conveyed by the picture.
Fighting methods:
- Cut off diseased branches. Disinfect the cut site with a thick solution: 1% copper sulphate plus 3% iron sulphate. Then smear with garden putty;
- Fallen leaves, flowers, cut shoots should be burned immediately. This is a place to dig;
- Spray the tree twice with 3% Bordeaux liquid for a large lesion.
Kokkomikoz
The disease came from Scandinavia (the middle of the last century). Has received widespread distribution. The fungal pathogen persists in cherry leaves, living there during the winter. Weakened plants are most susceptible to coccomycosis.
Leaves are predominantly affected by this disease. They are covered with brown dots, growing to spots. The lower plate of the leaf is covered with a pink-white bloom. Here are the spores of the parasite. Soon, all the affected foliage crumbles. Cherry fruits get sick less often. They are covered with small dark dots, deformed. These fruits are not to be eaten!
Treatment of coccomycosis is the same as that of perforated spotting. Recently, breeders have bred varieties that are less susceptible to coccomycosis. They need less processing.
Monilioz (gray rot)
This cherry disease is also known as monilial burn or gray rot. It is relatively “young” for our regions. Appeared only in the 90s of the last century.
The fungal pathogen lives in diseased parts of the tree. Here he will overwinter well, if preventive maintenance is not done in a timely manner.
Almost all cherries are affected: foliage, trunk, shoots, fruits. Therefore, moniliosis is considered the most formidable disease. Affected areas look like burned. Leaves are infected first. Then the bark of the plant is covered with gray growths. They are located randomly. Where such “burns” appeared, the site begins to rot.
Affected shoots crack, releasing gum. After which they die. The berries are deformed, almost all crumble.
Fighting methods:
- Fallen diseased parts of the tree should be burned immediately;
- Cut branches – 10 centimeters below the affected area. Disinfect, treat with garden putty;
- Clean the bark of the trunk to a healthy tissue;
- Spray cherries with one of the preparations: 3% copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid, nitrafen, iron sulfate, oleocuprite.
Antraknoz
The disease affects mainly cherry fruits. The onset of the disease can be missed. Since the fruits are immediately covered with barely noticeable light spots. Later they become small bumps with a pink coating. In hot weather, the cherries dry out. Wet weather can aggravate the course of the disease, destroying 80% of the fruit.
For the treatment of anthracnose, the chemical preparation “Polyram” is used. They spray the plant three times: before flowering, after, and two weeks later again. This measure is sufficient for recovery.
Comedy
All of the above fungal diseases of cherries cause gum to leak from the affected parts. It is a transparent liquid. Flowing out, the gum hardens. This process is called gumming. Possible reasons: abundant watering of the soil, excessive feeding.
It is necessary to fight with gum disease. Since the liquid contains pathogenic spores, they will spread to healthy plants by rain and wind. Treatment consists in preventing, that is, preventing such a condition. First of all, proper care is needed, the destruction of pests, the timely detection of diseases, and their treatment.
Rust
Cherry rust is caused by the parasitic fungus Thekopsora padi. The “owners” of this pathogen are coniferous trees: spruce, juniper. Their cones contain spores that are carried to fruit trees by rain and wind.
Cherry leaves are covered with reddish spots. Their yellow border resembles rust. Hence the name. The upper side of the leaf shows signs more clearly than the lower side.
Treatment:
- Remove coniferous plantations growing nearby;
- Collect all diseased leaves, dispose of;
- After flowering, spray the cherry with the Hom chemical preparation (it contains copper oxychloride). Dilute a bucket of water with 80 grams of powder;
- When the cherries are harvested, spray with 1% Bordeaux liquid.
destroyed
Scab is a rather dangerous cherry disease caused by a pathogenic fungus or bacteria. Infection occurs during the flowering period. Spread is facilitated by wet weather.
Spores of the pathogen appear on the foliage as brown-olive velvety spots. Cherry fruits may be affected. Mature – covered with cracks, green – shrivel, stop developing. In the presented photos, you can clearly see all the signs of cherry diseases.
Scab treatment measures are reduced to prevention.
- In early spring, spray cherries and soil with nitrafen;
- When the buds begin to bloom, treat the trees with Bordeaux liquid (10 liters – 100 grams);
- Three weeks later, when flowering ends, repeat the previous procedure;
- Spray a third time after the fruit has been fully harvested;
- With a strong infection, a fourth spraying can be done two weeks from the third.
Prevention of cherry diseases and consequences
- First of all, proper care of fruit trees minimizes the risk of infection;
- Timely collect, burn fallen, diseased parts of the tree;
- Pruning of affected branches is best done in the fall in dry weather, before the leaves fall. Rain can spread disease-causing spores;
- Mid-spring – cut off all weak, dried shoots, branches that thicken the crown. This procedure will give the tree the extra nutrients it needs to grow;
- Make sure that the near-stem circle is cleaned when fertilizing;
- Protect cherries from injury. If there are any, then delete the branches that can no longer be saved. Clean the rest of the wounds, grease with garden putty;
- Avoid sunburn of foliage, frostbite (whitewash the trunks with lime in time);
- Remove gum promptly. Treatment with vitriol will prevent gum disease;
- Spray the plant in the spring with 1% Bordeaux liquid, before the buds open. The second time to do the processing after flowering. The third is in two weeks. Autumn spraying is also effective when the foliage falls. Conduct annually;
- Carefully treat trees with chemicals, otherwise there may be burns. This is especially true for the Bordeaux liquid. To prevent this, it is necessary to make a “control” spraying of one branch. The burn will appear as a necrotic stain. In the fruit, the leaf is like a mesh. Then you need to temporarily stop processing.
These diseases harm not only cherries, but the entire garden plot. The yield of fruit trees is decreasing. Leaves fall prematurely. The appearance of the fruit spoils. Plant growth is inhibited. Their immunity is reduced.
Keep in mind:
- After the spread of infections, fruit trees need careful, proper care. Then a rich harvest can be expected;
- After processing, thoroughly rinse the berries under running water;
- Specialized stores will provide you with a large selection of ready-made preparations for the treatment of plants;
- It should be remembered about the high toxicity of copper sulfate. Use it carefully. If necessary, you can change to another drug. Less toxic, for example “Fundazol”. It is especially effective in flowering;
- It is good when as many leaves as possible are preserved on the tree. Then it will better endure the winter;
Video “Diseases of cherry coccomycosis”
What to do if the cherry leaves flew around, you will learn from the video: