Used as decoration and bearing juicy, sweet, and yummy fruits, cherry trees are synonymous with summer and spring. However, these trees can also fall victim to a lot of pests and diseases. If you don’t consult tree services early enough, you may have to cut down the tree. Here are the common cherry tree diseases.

Black Knot

A disease that targets both fruiting and ornamental cherry trees is black knot. It’s a fungus that can latch onto cherry trees and wreak havoc. The branches of the tree are attacked by this fungus and black, irregular, and popcorn-shaped galls are formed on the tips of the branches, which can lead to the tree becoming fruitless and weak over time. If you want to prevent or control black knots, then here are some things you can try out:

• Keep an eye out for black knot formations. Black knot is a very slow-growing fungus and it can take months before it reaches a point where it can damage the tree to no end, so you need to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary or strange growth on the cherry trees.
• You can cut the stems of the tree where there are buds of black knots. Sometimes, burning the knots also helps to prevent it from growing in the future.
• Fungus thrives in hot and humid months, so during winters, you want to ensure that you’re maintaining your trees to the max so that when summer comes around, the trees are healthy and resistant to fight off the fungus on their own.

Cherry Leaf Spot

This disease affects cherry trees a lot and sometimes, it can vary in aggravation. The most distinctive thing about this disease is the red spots on the leaves of the cherry trees. It’s kind of like chicken pox, but when leaves get it. Sometimes, if the severity of the disease is too much, then the spots can turn into holes and it can also lead to the leaves falling off. The best thing to do in this case is to:

• Give the tree lots of sun and air
• Keep the surrounding of the tree clean
• Use organic fungicides

Brown Rot

One of the most common cherry tree problems can be related to fungus and bacteria. Since fruit trees are prone to fungus infestation, cherry trees can easily fall victim to this issue as well. Brown rot is a disease in which the leaves and even fruits of the trees turn brown and there are brown spots on the leaves and the fruits, especially during the ripening stage.

This problem can also cause the fruit to taste bad and spoiled and that’s because this is a fungus infestation on the tree. It can mainly happen due to humidity or if the cherry tree has caught it from a neighboring tree. It is really common to occur and some of the signs of brown rot include:

• Twigs falling
• Fruits getting browned
• Fruits falling before the ripening stage
• Leaves turning brown, etc.

What you can do to get rid of brown rot is by ensuring that the tree is always clean and that you’re cleaning the dirt and debris around it. Also, maintaining the health of the tree will do wonders and it will ensure that brown rot isn’t a problem in the future.

Necrotic Ringspot

It is a disease that targets the leaves and it can occur in both sour and sweet cherry trees. It can damage the twigs, leaves, branches and even the trunk of the tree and the leaves can have holes in them with a light-yellow border, indicating that it is a necrotic ringspot. To prevent or control this disease, you can:

• Remove the old leaves from the vicinity of the cherry tree, because that’s the main cause
• Keep the tree clean and well-watered
• Giving the tree regular trims, to prevent overgrowth

Crown Gall

Crown gall is caused by a bacteria called Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This can cause the trunk of the tree to swell and discolor. It can occur in many trees, but fruit and herb trees fall victim to this problem the most. This is a dangerous problem, because it attacks the trunk of the tree making it weak, and it can also render the tree fruitless, so that is bad.

Over time, the crown gall can penetrate the roots and cause the death of the tree if the nutrient supply is stopped for good and you will need to contact tree removal companies Potomac for cutting down the tree.

For treating or preventing crown gall, you need to do a couple of things:

• When buying baby trees, make sure that you get them from an organic seller, who sells trees in good health.
• If there are small galls on the trunk, then you can shave them by using tree scissors.
• Use good quality and organic manure and remove weeds from the base of the tree.

Powdery Mildew

As the name suggests, powdery mildew is the formation of a white powdery film on the leaves of cherry trees. It can affect sour and sweet cherries the same and it can also spread and affect other neighboring trees.

The leaves may get weak, they can wilt and fall and you will also see the branches being very weak and on the verge of breaking. It is mainly caused by fungus or mold infestation. Some things to control and prevent powdery mildew are as follows:

• Try to keep the soil wet, but don’t over-water the trees as this can lead to fungus production
• Remove the leaves with a slight whitish substance on them to prevent spreading

Cytospora Canker

Cherry tree branches can develop cankers that can cause the branches to be dark, wilted, and very frail. Sometimes, gum can also be formed on the trees and this can cause a lot of problems too. Cytospora canker is caused by fungus and humidity and some ways by which you can control it include:

You want to regularly trim and prune your tree with cankers. The less stress there is to the trees, the better it will be.

Bacterial Canker

Caused by a bacteria called Pseudomonas syringae, bacterial canker can cause the death of cherry trees. It starts by attacking the branches of many fruit trees, including cherries. Once the branches start to wilt, discolor, and weaken, the bacteria move up towards the leaves and it can also attack the trunk of the tree and cause large, gaping holes in it.

This is a serious problem because any hole in the trunk of the tree can lead to infections and other epidemic issues and it can deteriorate the tree over time. Some of the things that you can do to prevent bacterial canker are as follows:

• Using good soil for planting your cherry trees
• Regularly pruning the tree and the affected areas to prevent the chances of spreading
• Watering the tree regularly
• Ensuring that the tree is in good shape, health-wise

Conclusion

If you have a green thumb and have cherry trees that you adore, then you need to look out for these problems, because those can turn serious very quickly. If things are out of hands, look for tree cutting services Chevy Chase who can safely remove the infested trees.