Knowledgebase

Cherry tree losing leaves #643472

Asked May 30, 2020, 2:54 PM EDT

My mature cherry tree is losing its leaves. It seems as if an insect is eating them. It bloomed beautifully this spring.

Howard County Maryland

Expert Response

You are seeing the symptoms of cherry shot hole disease. Wet spring weather is ideal for the development of this disease and we have had a lot of questions about this recently.
Both a fungus and a bacterium can cause shot hole disease in cherries, and distinguishing between the two pathogens is challenging. Neither will be controlled by sprays applied after symptoms have progressed to this point. Some defoliation also can occur as a result of this condition.

The good news is that trees produce many more leaves than they need to feed themselves via photosynthesis, and in most cases mature trees can sustain some of this damage and recover in future years. No treatment is recommended. Remove and dispose of fallen leaves to reduce fungal inoculum around the planting area. This does tend to be a chronic issue in cherry trees in this area, and it is typically worse in wet weather years.

Here is more about cherry shot hole and how to manage it. https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/cherry-shot-hole-flowering-cherries

Deb

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