The leaves on the cherry wither, curl, dry: diseases, reasons, how to save

Cherry branches dry for a variety of reasons – this process can trigger a fungal disease, freezing in the winter months, lack of fertilizer, deepening of the root neck, etc. The treatment of the tree depends on what kind of reason formed the basis for drying out. The most accurate solution to the problem can be found if you carefully examine the dried leaves. Black dots, plaque, reddish spots – all this will tell you what disease provoked the disease.

A few reasons why cherries dry up after winter

Very often, cherry branches wither in the spring. This happens because the tree freezes in winter and cannot recover from low temperatures. In turn, the freezing of branches can happen due to the fact that a variety was incorrectly selected for a given region. Before planting cherry trees, you should pay attention to the frost resistance of a particular variety.

Also, the branches and leaves may begin to dry out because the cherries were not warmed enough in the fall. In order to protect plantings from frost, it is recommended to cover them for the winter.

A list of reasons why branches and leaves dry in cherries after flowering

It is generally accepted that abundant flowering inevitably weakens fruit trees, as a result of which they become much more easily ill. If the cherry has dried up after flowering, the fungus is most likely the cause.

Diseases in which leaves and branches dry in cherries

Moderately warm weather with frequent rains is an extremely favorable environment for many fungal infections. Among them, the following diseases pose the greatest threat:

1. Moniliosis. The first signs of the disease are not only individual leaves twisting on the tree, but entire branches dry out. Infection usually occurs in spring during flowering. By the end of June, the fungus can spread to all branches.
2. Klyasterosporiosis, or perforated spotting. This fungal disease at the initial stage of development affects only the leaves, which curl, dry and become covered with reddish spots. Then they darken – the process of tissue death begins. If the disease is started, the shoots will soon begin to dry. Ultimately, the tree may shed its leaves much earlier.
3. Coccomycosis. This fungus also affects mainly leaves. At first they are covered with red-brown spots, but then quickly turn yellow and fall off. A pinkish bloom appears on the underside of the leaves.
4. Anthracnose. The first sign of the disease is rusty spots on the leaves and rotting of the fruit. With a strong defeat, the cherry sheds its leaves.

Against fungal diseases, plantings are sprayed 1-2 times a year with fungicides.

Violation of the landing rules

Another common reason why cherries dry is a violation of the basic rules of agricultural technology. Leaves on a tree can curl in the following cases:

1. The root system of the cherry has perked up, as a result of which the leaves began to dry quickly. This usually happens because the tree is planted too deep. Also, drying can be caused by abundant fertilizing and too frequent watering.
2. Landing in a lowland or in an area with a high level of groundwater. Such an arrangement is fraught with rotting of the roots. Ultimately, damage to the root system leads to the fact that the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out.
3. Cherries are poorly ventilated. Because of this, after prolonged rains, water lingers in a dense crown, and high humidity is an ideal environment for the spread of the fungus.
4. Landing thickening. Each tree should have a sufficient feeding area.

Soil Composition

Another reason why cherries dry out after flowering is a lack of fertilizer. She simply does not have enough nutrition to set fruits, as a result of which the leaves begin to curl, which quickly dry and fall off. Timely fertilizing and planting cherries on rich soils helps to avoid such situations. In autumn, it is fed with organic matter. In spring and summer, mineral complex mixtures are used for stone fruit crops.

During flowering, you can feed the cherry with a solution of urea – 10-15 g per 5 liters of water (this amount is enough for one tree). After flowering, a solution of ammofoska has a good effect on planting – 30 g of the substance per 10 liters of water (consumption per tree).

Violation of the rules of care

Planting on a fertile site that meets all the requirements for good fruiting of stone fruit crops does not always guarantee full development. Cherry branches and leaves often dry after flowering because the plantings are not properly cared for.

The most common mistakes are:

1. Ignoring seasonal cuts. From time to time, cherries should be thinned out, which allows you to rejuvenate old trees.
2. Garbage accumulates in the near-stem circle. Fallen leaves, broken branches and rotten fruits must be removed in a timely manner so that pests do not start in this mass. The grass under the cherry is mowed.
3. No loosening. Row spacing and near-trunk circle should sometimes be slightly dug up.
4. Over or under watering. Rotting or drying out of the roots leads to one result – the leaves and branches of the cherry begin to dry. The optimal watering regimen is once every two months. At the same time, about 3-4 buckets of water are consumed per tree.
5. Comedy treatment, or gummosis. The disease is characterized by the fact that not only the leaves dry on the cherry, but also the resin flows from the branches. This happens again due to excessive watering and a large amount of fertilizer. If the disease is started, it can lead to a complete stop in the growth of the tree and its death.

The dead bark on the cherry must be cleaned with the onset of autumn

Planting varieties that do not have resistance to fungal diseases

To minimize the risk of drying leaves on cherries, planting a culture of varieties that are resistant to the fungus helps. The weakest in this regard are Vladimir and Lyubskaya cherries – they are more likely to suffer from fungal infections. Also, in areas that are unfavorable for the drying of leaves, it is not recommended to plant felt cherries.

What to do if the cherry dries

If the cherry leaves wither after winter or flowering, the treatment may be different. If the plantings are affected by the fungus, the cherries are sprayed with fungicides. With gommosis and mechanical damage, treatment with garden pitch and copper sulphate helps. Errors in agricultural technology can be corrected by transplanting the plant, fertilizing or pruning dried shoots.

Pruning cherries if branches and leaves dry

At the first sign of moniliosis, cherry branches are cut off. At the same time, it is not enough to remove diseased areas – they additionally capture 10-15 cm of healthy wood. If the tree is in the last stages of drying, the infected branches are cut out completely. All remote shoots must be burned. Additionally, it is recommended to care for cherries in the summer months, cutting off damaged branches as needed.

The pruning procedure is completed by applying a garden pitch to the places of cuts. You can also use a solution of copper sulfate.

How to spray cherries if the leaves dry

If the leaves dry on the cherry due to the fungus, the plantings are sprayed according to the following scheme:

• for the first time, the treatment is carried out on swollen kidneys;
• the second time – during flowering;
• the third treatment falls on the period after harvest;
• the fourth time the trees are treated after they shed their leaves.

In this case, the following tools have proven themselves well:

1. Before flowering, you can use “Topsin-M”, “Teldor” or “Horus”.

   

2. From klyasterosporiosis use “Skor” or “Topaz”.

   

3. Treatment with a solution of urea (40 g of the substance per 1 liter of water) helps against coccomycosis.

   

4. With moniliosis from drying out of the leaves, Nitrafen helps.

   

5. If the leaves dry due to anthracnose, plantings are sprayed with copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water).
   

How to save cherries from drying out

If the cherry wilts after flowering due to gummosis, treatment begins with the fact that all resin clots are carefully cut off. After that, the lesions are smeared with copper sulfate (1%), garden pitch or sorrel juice. Heavily damaged branches are cut to the very base.

After freezing, frost cracks form on the cherry, because of which the leaves then quickly dry and curl. If frostbite is mild, it is enough to drag the tree trunk with a cloth. If low temperatures provoked the formation of deep cracks in the bark, it must be cleaned off. The wound is cleaned and treated in three steps:

• first, 2% Bordeaux liquid is applied;
• then lubricate the cracks with garden pitch;
• at the end, a mixture of mullein and clay, taken in equal proportions, is applied.

Transverse freezers are treated by grafting cuttings. Cherries with a frostbitten trunk, but actively functioning roots, are cut off, leaving one stump. Among the grafted shoots, the largest is chosen and cared for like a full-fledged seedling.

Is it possible to revive a dried cherry tree

Sometimes planting after freezing can be restored even in the later stages of drying. If the tree looks lifeless, the leaves are twisted, and the buds do not swell, you need to carefully cut one of the branches by 10-15 cm. The state of the cherry is judged by the cut – if the core of the tree is alive, then there is still a chance for recovery. In this case, the near-stem circle is loosened and the cherry is provided with abundant regular watering. In the same way, landings with a lack of nutrition can be helped.

If the cherry grows in an unfavorable area (lowland, poor soil) or mistakes were made when planting it (deepening of the root neck), then the plant is transplanted. About whether it is worth doing, tell the state of the roots. If they still contain moisture, then they are slightly trimmed to remove dead tissue and give new cells access to nutrition. For four hours, the seedling is placed in a container with a solution of camphor alcohol, which has a concentration of 10-15 drops per 0,5 l of water. After that, the cherry can be moved to another place.

Unfortunately, if the wood on the cut is dried up, like the root system, it will no longer be possible to save the tree. Also, the chances of recovery in case of severe damage by a fungus are extremely small – such plantings are uprooted and burned away from the site.

It is better to carry out chemical treatments along with neighboring plantings so that the fungus does not hit the cherry a second time.

How to protect cherries from drying out

If the cherry has begun to dry, sometimes it takes a very long time to understand the causes and eliminate the consequences. It is much easier and not to allow such a situation at all.

For prevention purposes, it is recommended to adhere to the following tips for planting and caring for this crop:

1. For landing choose a place on a hill. It should be well lit and ventilated.
2. Groundwater at the site of planting cherries should lie no higher than 1,5 m from the surface of the earth.
3. In no case should you thicken the landings. The optimal distance between cherry trees is 2-3 m.
4. From time to time it is necessary to prune dry and damaged branches in order to rejuvenate the tree.
5. Dead fruits should not be left on the tree to rot further, they are removed as they appear.
6. The trunk circle is treated with fungicides 1-2 times a year. For these purposes, “Fitosporin” or “Fundazol” is suitable.

   

   

7. You need to whitewash not only the trunk of the tree, but also the skeletal branches. For additional protection against drying out of the leaves, copper sulfate can be added to the whitewash. The recommended time for applying whitewash is autumn, when the cherry will shed its foliage.
8. Cracks in the bark and mechanical damage should be lubricated with garden pitch in a timely manner so that the tree does not begin to dry out from the infection.
9. Feeding should not be neglected. Fertilizers are applied to the soil 2-3 times a season.
10. Fallen leaves should not be left under the tree. All debris in the area near the trunk circle is removed.
11. In autumn and spring, the soil under the cherry is dug up to a shallow depth.

Separately, it is worth noting such a preventive measure as the selection of varieties. In order to avoid problems with drying out due to the fungus, preference is given to those varieties of cherries that have good resistance to it. There are no varieties with absolute immunity against fungal diseases, however, two varieties have proven themselves well in this regard:

• Spain;

  

• Anadol cherry.

  

These are heat-loving varieties that are best planted in the south of the country. The resistant varieties of the middle band include the following types:

• Brunette;

  

• Octave;

  

• Novella;

  

• Griot Belarusian.

  

Conclusion

Cherry branches sometimes dry even with the most experienced gardeners, and sometimes it’s not easy to figure out what exactly led to this ailment. There can be many reasons: unsuitable soil composition, illness, violations of agricultural technology during planting and care, excessive or, conversely, poor watering, etc. On the other hand, if the cherry leaves curl, this is far from a sentence for a tree. Landings are quite possible to restore even in the later stages, if you follow all the rules.

For more information on how to treat cherry trees if their leaves are curled, see the video below: