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Many people grow cherries, as their fruits are very beneficial for the human body. At the same time, the crop is undemanding to care and begins to bear fruit already in the third year after planting. You can often hear from novice gardeners that the berries dry on cherries. In this case, you cannot count on a generous harvest. It is impossible to unequivocally answer why this happens, because various factors can provoke this process.
List of reasons why cherry fruits dry out
There are a number of reasons why cherries dry out. Therefore, in order to understand what triggered this process in this particular case, you need to consider each problem separately.Without this, it will be impossible to restore the tree's productivity.
Diseases and pests
Often the reason that fruits dry out on a tree is pests or diseases. This is due to inattention to culture, which leads to weakened immunity. After all, as you know, weakened plants are affected first.
- Anthracnose. This disease is the main reason why cherry berries dry out after ripening. Initially, dull dots appear on the fruits, which gradually increase in size and become pink bulges. Subsequently, due to low humidity, the berries turn black, dry out and fall off.
Massive damage by anthracnose leads to yield loss of up to 80%
- Moniliosis. This is a dangerous disease that appeared relatively recently in the 90s of the last century. It affects not only leaves, shoots and fruits, but can also lead to the death of the entire tree. The affected areas resemble a burn. Then the bark becomes covered with chaotic gray growths, which then rot. The fruits also become covered with dark spots, which subsequently increase in size. Sporulation pads then form on them.
The main sign of moniliosis is dark rings on the cut of a cherry shoot.
- Coccomycosis. This disease initially affects the leaves of the plant, which is manifested by red-brown spots, the diameter of which reaches 2 mm. In the future, their number only increases, and they merge into a single whole. The affected areas on the underside of the foliage look like pink or gray-white pads. It is in them that the spores of the fungus are located and ripen. Subsequently, with massive damage, the disease spreads to the fruits, as a result of which the cherry berries begin to dry directly on the tree.
Coccomycosis causes premature leaf fall, drying out of shoots and fruits
- Cherry fly. The danger of this pest is that it can remain undetected for a long time. It looks like a small fly, the length of which does not exceed 5.5 mm. The body is black, shiny. The head and paws are yellow, the eyes are green, and the shield is orange. Initially, the female pierces the fruit to leave an oviposition in it. Subsequently, larvae appear and feed on the pulp of the ripened fruit. As a result, the cherries turn black and dry out.
The main damage to cherry fruits is caused by the white larvae of this pest.
Nutritional deficiencies
One of the reasons why cherry berries dry out may be a lack of necessary components in the soil. During the active growing season, the tree needs nitrogen, but during flowering, ovary formation, and fruit ripening, its needs completely change. It needs phosphorus and potassium. In their absence, the cherry begins to get rid of excess fruits, which it is not able to provide with adequate nutrition.
Increased soil acidity
Increased acidity of the soil can also provoke a lack of nutrition. If the reading is above 4 ph, then you need to be prepared for the fact that the cherry berries will begin to dry out and turn black before they have time to ripen. This is due to the fact that under such conditions the crop is unable to fully absorb nutrients from the soil, which causes their deficiency.
Crown density
Drying of the ovary can be caused by a lack of light, which is caused by the lack of timely pruning. As a result, the tree crown thickens, which leads to premature drying of the fruit.
Lack of pollination
Often, green cherry berries dry out on the tree as a result of incomplete pollination. Initially, the fruit begins to grow, but since it does not contain a seed, it stops developing and mummifies.
Main types of culture:
- self-sterile - pollination of pollen does not exceed 4% of the total;
- partially pollinated - a full-fledged ovary is formed within 20%;
- self-fertile - about 40% of the berries are formed.
When purchasing cherry seedlings, it is recommended to immediately check with the seller what type it is.
Damage to skeletal branches
Cherry fruits can dry out if the skeletal branches of the tree are damaged. As a result, metabolic processes do not occur in full. This can be determined by cutting off such a branch. When damaged, the wood inside is not white, as usual, but brown, which indicates partial tissue necrosis.
Weather
In some cases, the reason why young cherry berries dry on the tree and then fall off is due to unfavorable weather conditions during flowering. Pollen retains its ability to form the ovary for three days. And if at this time there is constant precipitation or the air temperature drops significantly, then these factors do not contribute to the flight of pollinating insects.
Violation of agricultural technology rules
Failure to comply with the basic requirements of the crop can also provoke drying of fruits.Planting cherries near other trees results in insufficient lighting. As a result, the yield suffers, and the berries begin to mummify and fall off, never reaching technical maturity.
Lack of moisture during and after flowering also negatively affects fruit development. This leads to the fact that biological processes in the tree slow down and the berries do not receive the required amount of nutrition. As a result, they stop developing and subsequently dry out.
Close occurrence of groundwater
Not only a lack of moisture can negatively affect the development of fruits, but also an excess. Planting cherries in an area with close groundwater leads not only to a decrease in yield, but also to the death of the entire tree. This occurs as a result of erosion of the plant's root system.
It is unacceptable for tree roots to remain constantly in water.
What to do if cherries dry on the tree
After we have found out the reason why cherry berries dry on the branches, we need to take urgent measures to eliminate the provoking factor. You should act depending on the situation.
Processing cherries if the berries dry out due to illness
If cherry berries dry out due to a disease, then treatment with fungicides should be carried out. It is also important to remove and burn damaged leaves and shoots whenever possible to prevent further spread.
- Anthracnose. The affected tree must be treated twice with Polyram - before flowering and after it. And spray a third time after two weeks. These measures will be sufficient to destroy the fungus.
- Moniliosis. Before treating the crown, it is necessary to clear it of affected branches. First of all, cut off all diseased shoots 10 cm below the infected area. After this, cover open wounds with garden varnish. The tree bark should also be stripped down to healthy tissue, and after that the cherries should be sprayed with the complex preparation Nitrafen.
- Coccomycosis. To destroy the fungus, it is necessary to collect and burn fallen leaves and damaged shoots in the fall. Treat the crown twice with Bordeaux mixture in early spring and after pruning before winter.
How to treat cherries if the fruits dry out due to pests
If pests are the reason why the cherry berries are drying out, then it is necessary to use special means to destroy them. Chemical treatment can be carried out during the growing season, after flowering and harvesting.
For treatment, you can use the insecticide “Iskra” or “Bi-58”.
In other periods, a folk remedy based on tomato tops should be used. To do this, it must be infused in water for two days in a ratio of 1:3, and then the crown should be sprayed with the resulting solution.
How to save cherries if the fruits wrinkle and dry out
If the reason for the drying of the fruits was errors made in care, then measures should also be taken to eliminate them.
To reduce the acidity level, it is necessary to lim the soil. It must be carried out until the ovary forms. To prepare a special solution, dilute 3 kg of lime per 10 liters of water. This volume is enough to process 1 square. m.
In order for the ovary to develop well, it is necessary to provide the cherry with adequate nutrition. Every spring, during the period of growing leaves, the tree needs to be fertilized with humus. Make a small ditch along the diameter of the crown, where you can add fertilizer at the rate of 10 kg per adult plant. Then level the soil. Fertilizing should also be carried out during flowering, ovary formation and fruit ripening. During this period, it is necessary to use superphosphate (50 g) and potassium sulfate (30 g) per 10 liters of water. Fertilizers should be applied by watering at the root.
Every year in autumn and spring it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning of the crown. It involves removing dry, damaged and thickening branches.
All open wounds should then be treated with garden varnish to prevent infection.
During the dry period, watering should be carried out at the rate of 20 liters per tree.
Carry out the procedure at intervals of three weeks to eliminate the possibility of root rot developing.
How to fix the situation if there are not enough pollinators
Many varieties of cherries are self-sterile, so for full fruiting they need cherries nearby at a distance of 2-2.5 m, but only of a different type.
The best pollinators are the following varieties:
- Lyubskaya;
- Shubinka;
- Zhukovskaya.
How to protect cherries from fruit drying out
It is much easier to prevent cherries from drying out than to eliminate this problem later. After all, it is not always possible to find the root cause of this phenomenon. Often, berries wrinkle and fall off as a result of a whole complex of provoking factors.
Basic preventive measures:
- timely pruning and thinning of the crown;
- collect and burn affected branches, berries and leaves;
- dig up the soil at the base in the fall;
- in early spring, whitewash the trunk;
- feed regularly;
- water cherries during drought;
- carry out preventive treatments against pests and diseases in a timely manner.
Conclusion
If the cherries dry out during the first 2-3 years after planting, then this is a natural process. After all, a young seedling simply does not have enough strength to properly feed them. In this case there is no cause for concern. But if the ovary shrinks and the berries of mature trees fall off and this happens every year, then urgent measures need to be taken to eliminate the problem.
When to water cherries with chalk solution