Weeping cherry tree disease? - Ask Extension
I am a widow, renting a house. There is a beautiful large weeping cherry tree in the back yard that by the end of June the leaves are turning yellow w...
Knowledgebase
Weeping cherry tree disease? #568647
Asked June 09, 2019, 10:13 AM EDT
I am a widow, renting a house. There is a beautiful large weeping cherry tree in the back yard that by the end of June the leaves are turning yellow with black spots, and falling off. It starts out flowering and then the leaves provide a wonderful canopy for the yard but by August it is bare. This year it has been dropping some kind of blackish gunk.
My landlord isn’t interested in paying for anything to salvage the tree except to cut it down if it dies. Is there anything that I can be doing to salvage this tree ?
Harford County Maryland
Expert Response
Cherries are susceptible to a fungal disease called cherry shot hole. This can be common when we have wet spring weather and may continue to infect leaves throughout the growing season if rainy weather persists. You will also see some defoliation. In most cases trees recover from these diseases and no treatment is necessary. Remove and dispose of fallen leaves in the fall to reduce overwintering pathogens. Here is more about it.
http://extension.umd.edu/hgic/plants/cherry-shot-hole-flowering-cherries
We are not sure what you mean by dropping black gunk. Where is the black gunk? You can send us more photos of this. In general weeping cherries can be susceptible to borers , cankers, etc. when stressed by site and environmental conditions. There is no treatment other than pruning.
Marian
http://extension.umd.edu/hgic/plants/cherry-shot-hole-flowering-cherries
We are not sure what you mean by dropping black gunk. Where is the black gunk? You can send us more photos of this. In general weeping cherries can be susceptible to borers , cankers, etc. when stressed by site and environmental conditions. There is no treatment other than pruning.
Marian
