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Cherry branches dry out for a variety of reasons - this process can be triggered by a fungal disease, freezing in the winter months, lack of fertilizers, deepening of the root collar, etc. The treatment of the tree depends on the exact reason behind the drying out. The most accurate solution to the problem can be found by carefully examining the dried leaves. Black dots, plaque, reddish spots - all this will tell you what disease caused the illness.
Several reasons why cherries dry out after winter
Very often cherry branches wither in the spring. This happens because the tree freezes in winter and cannot recover from low temperatures.In turn, freezing of branches can occur due to the fact that the variety was incorrectly selected for a given region. Before planting cherry trees, you should pay attention to the frost resistance of a particular variety.
Also, branches and leaves may begin to dry out because the cherry tree was not insulated enough in the fall. In order to protect the plantings from frost, it is recommended to cover them for the winter.
A list of reasons why cherry branches and leaves dry out after flowering
It is generally accepted that abundant flowering inevitably weakens fruit trees, as a result of which they become sick much more easily. If the cherry tree has dried out after flowering, a fungus is most likely the cause.
Diseases in which cherry leaves and branches dry out
Moderately warm weather with frequent rain provides an extremely favorable environment for many fungal infections. Among them, the following diseases pose the greatest threat:
- Moniliosis. The first signs of the disease are that not only individual leaves on the tree curl, but entire branches dry out. Infection usually occurs in the spring during flowering. By the end of June, the fungus can spread to all branches.
- Clusterosporiasis, or perforated spot. At the initial stage of development, this fungal disease affects only the leaves, which curl, dry out and become covered with reddish spots. Then they darken - the process of tissue death begins. If the disease is started, the shoots will soon begin to dry out. Ultimately, the tree may shed its leaves much earlier than expected.
- Coccomycosis. This fungus also mainly affects leaves. At first they become covered with red-brown spots, but then quickly turn yellow and fall off.A pinkish coating appears on the underside of the leaves.
- Anthracnose. The first sign of the disease is rusty spots on the leaves and rotting of the fruits. When severely damaged, the cherry tree drops its leaves.
Against fungal diseases, plantings are sprayed with fungicides 1-2 times a year
Violation of landing rules
Another common reason why cherries dry out is a violation of the basic rules of agricultural technology. Leaves on a tree may curl in the following cases:
- The root system of the cherry tree was ripe, as a result of which the leaves began to dry out quickly. This usually happens due to the tree being planted too deep. Drying can also be caused by excessive fertilizing and too frequent watering.
- Planting in a lowland or in an area with a high level of groundwater. This arrangement is fraught with rotting of the roots. Ultimately, damage to the root system leads to the leaves beginning to turn yellow and dry out.
- Cherry is poorly ventilated. Because of this, after prolonged rains, water is retained in the thick crown, and high humidity is an ideal environment for the spread of fungus.
- Thickening of plantings. Each tree must have sufficient feeding area.
Soil composition
Another reason why cherries dry out after flowering is a lack of fertilizer. She simply does not have enough nutrition to set fruit, as a result of which the leaves begin to curl, which quickly dry out and fall off. Timely application of fertilizing and planting cherries on rich soils helps to avoid such situations. In the fall it is fed with organic matter.In spring and summer, mineral complex mixtures for stone fruit crops are used.
During flowering, you can feed the cherry with a urea solution - 10-15 g per 5 liters of water (this amount is enough for one tree). After flowering, an ammophoska solution has a good effect on plantings - 30 g of the substance per 10 liters of water (consumption per tree).
Violation of the rules of care
Planting in a fertile area that meets all the requirements for good fruiting of stone fruit crops does not always guarantee full development. Cherry branches and leaves often dry out after flowering because the plantings are not properly cared for.
The most common mistakes:
- Ignoring seasonal pruning. From time to time, cherry trees should be thinned out, which allows old trees to be rejuvenated.
- Debris accumulates in the tree trunk area. Fallen leaves, broken branches and rotten fruits must be removed in a timely manner so that pests do not grow in this mass. The grass under the cherry tree is mowed.
- No loosening. The row spacing and tree trunk circle should sometimes be lightly dug up.
- Over or under watering. Rotting or drying out of the roots leads to one result - the leaves and branches of the cherry tree begin to dry. The optimal watering regime is once every two months. In this case, about 3-4 buckets of water are consumed for each tree.
- Gum discharge, or gommosis. The disease is characterized by the fact that the cherry leaves not only dry out, but also resin drips from the branches. This happens again due to excessive watering and large amounts of fertilizer.If the disease is started, it can lead to a complete stop in the growth of the tree and its death.
Dead bark on cherries must be cleaned off with the onset of autumn.
Planting varieties that are not resistant to fungal diseases
Planting varieties that are resistant to the fungus helps reduce the risk of leaves drying out on cherries to a minimum. The Vladimir and Lyubsk cherries are considered the weakest in this regard - they suffer from fungal infections more often than others. Also, in areas unfavorable for leaf drying, it is not recommended to plant felt cherries.
What to do if the cherry dries out
If cherry leaves wither after winter or flowering, treatment may vary. If the plantings are affected by a fungus, the cherries are sprayed with fungicides. Treatment with garden pitch and copper sulfate helps with gommosis and mechanical damage. Errors in agricultural technology can be corrected by replanting the plant, applying fertilizer or pruning dried shoots.
Pruning cherries if branches and leaves dry out
At the first signs of moniliosis, cherry branches are pruned. In this case, it is not enough to remove diseased areas - an additional 10-15 cm of healthy wood is captured. If the tree is in the final stages of drying out, the infected branches are cut out completely. All removed shoots must be burned. Additionally, it is recommended to care for cherries during the summer months, cutting off damaged branches as necessary.
The pruning procedure is completed by applying garden varnish to the cut areas. You can also use a solution of copper sulfate.
How to spray cherries if the leaves dry out
If the leaves of a cherry tree dry out due to a fungus, the plantings are sprayed according to the following scheme:
- for the first time, treatment is carried out on swollen buds;
- the second time - during flowering;
- the third treatment occurs after harvest;
- the fourth time the trees are treated after they have shed their leaves.
The following tools have proven themselves to be effective:
- Before flowering begins, you can use “Topsin-M”, “Teldor” or “Horus”.
- For kleasterosporiasis use “Skor” or “Topaz”.
- Treatment with urea solution (40 g of substance per 1 liter of water) helps against coccomycosis.
- Nitrafen helps with moniliosis from drying out leaves.
- If the leaves dry out due to anthracnose, the plantings are sprayed with copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water).
How to save cherries from drying out
If the cherry withers after flowering due to gommosis, treatment begins with all clumps of resin being carefully cut off. After this, the lesions are smeared with copper sulfate (1%), garden varnish or sorrel juice. Severely damaged branches are cut off to the very base.
After freezing, frost holes form on the cherry, which causes the leaves to quickly dry out and curl. If frostbite is mild, it is enough to cover the tree trunk with a cloth. If low temperatures provoke the formation of deep cracks in the bark, it must be cleaned off. The wound is cleaned and treated in three stages:
- first apply 2% Bordeaux mixture;
- then smear the cracks with garden varnish;
- At the end, a mixture of mullein and clay, taken in equal proportions, is applied.
Transverse frost holes are treated by grafting cuttings. A cherry tree with a frostbitten trunk, but actively functioning roots, is cut off, leaving one stump. Among the grafted shoots, the largest is selected and cared for as a full-fledged seedling.
Is it possible to revive a dried cherry tree?
Sometimes plantings after freezing can be restored even in the later stages of drying. If the tree looks lifeless, the leaves curl, and the buds do not swell, you need to carefully cut one of the branches by 10-15 cm. The condition of the cherry is judged by the cut - if the core of the tree is alive, then there is still a chance for recovery. In this case, the tree trunk circle is loosened and the cherry is provided with abundant regular watering. In the same way, you can help plantings with a lack of nutrition.
If the cherry grows in an unfavorable area (lowland, poor soil) or mistakes were made when planting it (deepening of the root collar), then the plant is replanted. The condition of the roots will tell you whether this is worth doing. If they still contain moisture, they are lightly trimmed to remove dead tissue and give new cells access to nutrition. For four hours, the seedling is placed in a container with a solution of camphor alcohol, which has a concentration of 10-15 drops per 0.5 liter of water. After this, the cherry can be moved to another place.
Unfortunately, if the cut wood is dried out, as is the root system, it will no longer be possible to save the tree. Also, the chances of recovery are extremely low in case of severe fungal infection - such plantings are uprooted and burned away from the site.
It is better to carry out chemical treatments together with neighboring plantings so that the fungus does not infect the cherry a second time
How to protect cherries from drying out
If the cherry begins to dry out, it sometimes takes a very long time to understand the causes and eliminate the consequences. It is much easier to avoid such a situation altogether.
For prevention purposes, it is recommended to adhere to the following tips for planting and caring for this crop:
- For planting, choose a place on a hill. It should be well lit and ventilated.
- Groundwater at the cherry planting site should lie no higher than 1.5 m from the ground surface.
- Under no circumstances should plantings be thickened. The optimal distance between cherry trees is 2-3 m.
- From time to time it is necessary to trim dry and damaged branches in order to rejuvenate the tree.
- Dead fruits cannot be left to rot on the tree; they are removed as they appear.
- The tree trunk circle is treated with fungicides 1-2 times a year. Fitosporin or Fundazol are suitable for these purposes.
- It is necessary to whiten not only the tree trunk, but also the skeletal branches. For additional protection against leaf drying, you can add copper sulfate to the whitewash. The recommended time for applying whitewash is autumn, when the cherry tree loses its leaves.
- Cracks in the bark and mechanical damage should be lubricated in a timely manner with garden varnish so that the tree does not begin to dry out from the resulting infection.
- Fertilizing should not be neglected. Fertilizers are applied to the soil 2-3 times a season.
- It is better not to leave fallen leaves under a tree. All debris in the tree trunk area is removed.
- In autumn and spring, the soil under the cherry tree is dug up to a shallow depth.
Separately, it is worth noting such a preventive measure as variety selection. In order to avoid problems with drying out due to fungus, preference is given to those cherry varieties that have good resistance to it.There are no varieties with absolute immunity against fungal diseases, however, two varieties have proven themselves well in this regard:
- Shpanka;
- Anadol cherry.
These are heat-loving varieties that are best planted in the south of the country. Resistant varieties of the middle zone include the following types:
- Brunette;
- Octave;
- Novella;
- Griot Belarusian.
Conclusion
Even the most experienced gardeners sometimes dry out cherry branches, and sometimes it’s not easy to figure out what exactly led to this disease. There can be many reasons: unsuitable soil composition, disease, violations of agricultural practices during planting and care, excessive or, conversely, poor watering, etc. On the other hand, if the leaves of a cherry tree curl, this is far from a death sentence for the tree. It is quite possible to restore plantings even in the later stages if you follow all the rules.
You can learn more about how to treat cherry trees if their leaves curl in the video below:
