Leaf loss on Cherry

[TerryTibbs]

I've been out today to look at 2 Cherry trees and a Crab Apple that have seriously damaged leaves (where there are any!) and this years leaves, after blossoming have died and dried up, still attached to the tree.

 

A few photo's attached....

 

Spotting on leaves.

 

 

Dead leaves.

 

 

Shot of the tree.

 

 

Closer shot of dead leaves

 

 

 

Any ideas?

 

Cheers, Chris

Edited May 20, 2012 by TerryTibbs
My inability to post pictures!

[Tom Mabbutt]

Could be Fireblight?? Whole sections of leaves are dying, there are necrotic spots where the bacteria may be entering. Its most prevalent when the weather is hot and wet, like it has been.

[TerryTibbs]

Thanks for the reply - symptoms look the same. The leaves on the Cherry were far below 'average' size for the species, fireblight taken hold early and stunted development?

 

in the garden there was one cherry that i've suggested removal, there was extensive die back on all limbs and cankering around the base unions of the branches.

 

On the other trees as far as i could tell there is no cankering. Is this a later stage of fireblight? The client says it's only been suffering the past couple of years, this one being the worst.

[Tom Mabbutt]

Yeah, the infections can expand beyond the current seasons growth and cause cankers. You may also be looking at Bacterial Canker of Cherry too, the leaves of the cherry look like they have been shot with a shotgun, which is tell-tale. Are there any oozy amber coloured blobs anywhere on the stems of the cherry? And is the ' leaf scorching' just on the Apple?

[TerryTibbs]

That helps alot!

The last images was of a copper bark cherry shows signs of the 'shot leaf'

As for the other two cherry trees i checked for any oozing and cankering on them!

The scorched leaves were on both the cherries, the crab apple next to them had some sort of (i assume) bacterial infection with dark spotting on the leaves.

[slack ma girdle]

Did the cherry tree flower this year ?

Did the blossoms wilt early and are they still attached. I am looking at this on my phone and i can not really tell.

If so then then the cherries have blossom wilt.

I think that cherries can not catch fireblight, so that rules that out.

 

Sent from my Galaxy arse using tupping talk.

[TerryTibbs]

Yes, the cherry blossomed but died off along with the leaves. There are a few at the very top of the tree left but are headed the same way...

[Fungus]

Bacterial Canker of Cherry ... Are there any oozy amber coloured blobs anywhere on the stems of the cherry?

 

See photo.

---

[TerryTibbs]

@Fungus - On the predominately dead (and also showing dead leaves) cherry yes.

 

On the second cherry with dead leaves, no.

[Gollum]

I've been out today to look at 2 Cherry trees and a Crab Apple that have seriously damaged leaves (where there are any!) and this years leaves, after blossoming have died and dried up, still attached to the tree.

 

A few photo's attached....

 

Spotting on leaves.

 

 

Dead leaves.

 

 

Shot of the tree.

 

 

Closer shot of dead leaves

 

 

 

Any ideas?

 

Cheers, Chris

 

The cherry looks like prunus 'autumnalis' with shot blast.

Not a lot you can do except crown reduction.

 

The Crab Apple could be John standish not sure from picture.

take a look at the graft union and root plate,

it's been a wet year may be to much water.

how well drained is the ground.

not fire blight