Not only pests, but also diseases can cause problems for the sour cherry. Discolored leaves falling off; fruits that rot; Blossoms that fall off… What diseases can sour cherries afflict and how can they be recognized?

Damage to the wood: rubber foot

The so-called rubber foot is one of the most common types of damage to sour cherry wood. It prefers to attack the branches and/or trunk area. Unfortunately, the end of the tart cherry infestation with this disease is near…

You can recognize the rubber foot by the light brown colored and translucent drops or lumps that are located directly on the wood of the sour cherry. There are rubber foci under the bark. They are caused by tissue breaking down. The long-term consequence of the rubber foot is a complete death of the affected plant areas.

Foliar damage: Monilia, shotgun blotch, spray spot

There are a number of fungal pathogens that primarily affect the leaves of sour cherries. They don't stop at other plant parts either. But the leaves are usually the earliest and best way to recognize them.

If the leaves turn brown and dry up, Monilia may be to blame. If the leaves get reddish to purple spots starting in June, it could be spray spot disease. The leaves look like they have been riddled with buckshot, the culprit's shotgun disease. All of these fungal pathogens or diseases cause the leaves to fall off at the end.

damage to the fruit

The sour cherry tree is healthy and bears a variety of fruits. But suddenly individual fruits dry up and remain on the tree as 'mummies'. The cause may be fruit rot, monilia or bacterial blight. In the case of bacterial blight, dark spots appear on the fruit, which can deepen up to the stone core.

Generally preventive measures

If such diseases have occurred, the only thing that helps is removing the affected parts or chemicals. However, it is not advisable to use chemical clubs, as they like to penetrate the groundwater and contaminate it.

Preventative measures to prevent such diseases include:

  • good choice of site for planting
  • regular cut or thinning (goal: airy crown)
  • well aerated and permeable soil
  • Choose a robust variety: 'Morina', 'Carnelian' or 'Sapphire'

tips and tricks

To prevent reinfection, all affected parts of the plant should be rigorously removed. Attention: Not in the compost!

KKF

Category:

Vegetable garden