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Lower branches on cherry tree wilting / dying #763582

Asked July 23, 2021, 4:13 PM EDT

I have a recent Stella sweet cherry tree I planted from a local nursery that I suspect came with some disease, but I’m not quite sure what it is or what to do about it. There is weeping at old branch cuts, and the bark is reddish in color and depressed. Lately nearby branches have begun to drop leaves and die. My best guess is bacterial canker. It seems to be negatively affecting the tree after the deluge of rain we’ve had here in Ann Arbor recently. Anything I can do? I have two other cherries I planted last year (Emperor Francis and White Gold) that are doing very well, roughly 50’ away in the same soil. I do not know the rootstock, other than the not-very-helpful “semi dwarf” indication when purchasing. Thanks very much!

Washtenaw County Michigan

Expert Response

Hi Greg-

I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with your cherry. A lot of things can cause cankers in fruit trees, and stone fruits (peaches, cherries) will ooze and produce gummosis often from any injury, especially after a lot of rain. 

The symptoms do look like they could be bacterial canker, but it's hard to be certain from the photos. It is a very common, destructive disease in our area. The bacteria thrive in the wet conditions. To treat it, the best recommendation is to prune out cankers. This should be done during warm, dry conditions. You can leave an 'ugly stub' where the plant will wall off the infection to keep the bacteria from moving further in to the tree. You can also apply copper later in the season, which will kill bacteria on the plant surface.

Here are a couple of resources to help you diagnose and treat bacterial canker and other diseases/pests of stone fruit:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/fruit/stone-fruit-ipm-for-beginners

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/managing_bacterial_canker_in_sweet_cherries_what_are_the_options

Anna Wallis Replied July 23, 2021, 7:47 PM EDT
Thank you Dr. Wallis! I hadn’t seen the IPM for beginners site before, this is really helpful. Much appreciated!

Best,
Greg


On Fri, Jul 23, 2021 at 7:47 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied July 24, 2021, 10:38 AM EDT

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