Jump to content

Log in or register to remove this advert

Morello Cherry tree advice please.


Peter 1955
 Share

Recommended Posts

Customer has an established Morello ( she says ) Cherry Tree in her garden. Around 3-4 metres high, maybe a little more. It's looked very poorly for a while, and now it's only got a minimal amount of growth/signs of life, including one bunch of potential cherries. Growth appears to be near branch ends.

Trouble is, it's got loads of apparently dead branches. Big question is, do we leave it alone, or prune it back? If prune, how hard? Sorry I haven't taken  picture, if it helps, I'll get one in a day or so. Thanks. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Log in or register to remove this advert

Please could you get a picture or two. What I really need to see is:

 

Whether there is any damage to the trunk, anywhere around it. Morellos are not particularly prone to bacterial canker but they can get it so that is what I would be looking for.

Whether there are bunches of brown, withered flowers and leaves on a lot of the branch ends. If so, that is brown rot (the same as you get in apples). It's fungal and used to be easily dealt with on an annual basis using Bordeaux mixture before that got banned. If you have PA1 + 6 then there are modern alternative fungicides available.

Whether the remaining leaves look normal or silvery. If silvery, cutting off a recently dead branch and looking for a purple stain will tell you whether it is silverleaf or false silverleaf (a sign of stress).

 

Anything which is definitely dead will need to come off. Now is a good time to do it - anywhere between April and August but you are currently bang in the middle of the range. I would try and figure out what the problem is first though, as if it is treatable then it is worth the effort of pruning (they do grow back, from very little left) or whether it is time to remove it.


Alec

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, agg221 said:

Please could you get a picture or two. What I really need to see is:

 

Whether there is any damage to the trunk, anywhere around it. Morellos are not particularly prone to bacterial canker but they can get it so that is what I would be looking for.

Whether there are bunches of brown, withered flowers and leaves on a lot of the branch ends. If so, that is brown rot (the same as you get in apples). It's fungal and used to be easily dealt with on an annual basis using Bordeaux mixture before that got banned. If you have PA1 + 6 then there are modern alternative fungicides available.

Whether the remaining leaves look normal or silvery. If silvery, cutting off a recently dead branch and looking for a purple stain will tell you whether it is silverleaf or false silverleaf (a sign of stress).

 

Anything which is definitely dead will need to come off. Now is a good time to do it - anywhere between April and August but you are currently bang in the middle of the range. I would try and figure out what the problem is first though, as if it is treatable then it is worth the effort of pruning (they do grow back, from very little left) or whether it is time to remove it.


Alec

Thank you for that, one or two things to check. Will try to get pics soon. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with what's been said but personally I'd get on and prune it hard. Cut out all the dead and make the best of what is left, unless it's just too ridiculous. If it shows sign of recovery then encourage it a bit by mulching, feeding, whatever's appropriate to the situation. I have seen one come back well very surprisingly and the sooner you act the better. If it doesn't recover then  scrap it, but might as well give it a chance.  See what the customer says first obviously, but it sounds a poor specimen at the moment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, tarantula said:

I agree with what's been said but personally I'd get on and prune it hard. Cut out all the dead and make the best of what is left, unless it's just too ridiculous. If it shows sign of recovery then encourage it a bit by mulching, feeding, whatever's appropriate to the situation. I have seen one come back well very surprisingly and the sooner you act the better. If it doesn't recover then  scrap it, but might as well give it a chance.  See what the customer says first obviously, but it sounds a poor specimen at the moment.

Although I'm by no means well informed ( hence asking the people on here who are ) my inclination was to prune it. I will snip a couple of dead looking ones to see what they look like when cut. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pictures as requested. On closer inspection, the growth is mainly near the trunk. The dead branches are definitely dead, they just snap off. The leaves are curling up somewhat, which makes me wonder about aphids, or similar. Thanks for the advice so far. 

WIN_20210701_16_57_42_Pro.jpg

WIN_20210701_16_57_58_Pro.jpg

WIN_20210701_16_59_26_Pro.jpg

WIN_20210701_16_58_51_Pro.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I can't see any signs of silverleaf (or false silverleaf) so the tree is not doomed. Silverleaf would kill it; false silverleaf would be a sign of severe stress but the remaining growth looks reasonably healthy apart from what I agree is probably a bit of aphid damage. There is even some decent extension growth.

 

There might be a clue in that cluster of dead and mummified leaves near the fruit in the bottom image. It's worth a look amongst them to see whether there are any dead flowers in there too. Either way, I would be leaning towards brown rot as the problem.

 

Taking out all the dead is a good start. I wouldn't worry too much about what shape you then end up with - just leave anything which is alive for the moment. If it is brown rot then it only goes in through the flowering growth so as the head re-forms it should be OK. It can then be shaped up with some formative pruning.

 

Unlike sweet cherries (Prunus avium) which forms permanent fruiting spurs, Morellos (Prunus cerasus) fruit on last year's extension growth only. This causes them to get progressively more leggy and weaker, and hence vulnerable. They do benefit from a bit of annual pruning to take a few of the long, bare extension branches back each year to keep a steady supply of new growth. This one is relatively young so almost certainly on Colt rootstock but they can still live a fairly long time - Colt was introduced in the 1970s and trees are still going strong. One of the Morellos at Mum's place in Kent was down to only about 4' high with the top snapped out and only one live branch on a completely hollow trunk when we moved in in 1988. It is still there and now has a decent round head again (obviously still hollow). That was planted in 1919.

 

Alec

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  •  

  • Featured Adverts

About

Arbtalk.co.uk is a hub for the arboriculture industry in the UK.  
If you're just starting out and you need business, equipment, tech or training support you're in the right place.  If you've done it, made it, got a van load of oily t-shirts and have decided to give something back by sharing your knowledge or wisdom,  then you're welcome too.
If you would like to contribute to making this industry more effective and safe then welcome.
Just like a living tree, it'll always be a work in progress.
Please have a look around, sign up, share and contribute the best you have.

See you inside.

The Arbtalk Team

Follow us

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.