This is the third and final post in this series on growing great cherry trees.
If you missed the first and second parts, I have included links to them at the end of this post.
One of the things that can inhibit people from trying to grow cherry trees is their concern about diseases and not being sure how to mitigate them with organic methods.
Here are some common issues that can show up on your cherry trees and how to handle them.
Cherry Tree Diseases
Bacterial Cancer affecting Cherry Tree Health
The most common disease I see is Bacterial Cancer. Black or gold oozy patches develop on your tree as a result of this disease. It wilts branches, leaves and fruit and will eventually kill the tree.
This happened to my cherry trees and my neighbors some years ago and can eventually kill your trees.
If you trees are stressed, they are more vulnerable. Insuring your trees have plenty of micronutrients and nitrogen can help. The rock dust I spoke about in Part 2, can provide the micronutrients, provided you have living soil with lots of critters that has not been doused with chemicals.
Certain varieties are less susceptible.
Avoiding overhead watering can help prevent this disease. Cool wet weather conditions are preferred by this disease.
Pruning in winter to keep the branches open is also preventative.
Apply an organic Copper fungicide, rated for organic use in early fall and again in January. You can cauterize cankers with a torch in early summer. Lime sulfer applied in the fall can help prevent the disease the following spring.
For longer term tree health and prevention, apply biodynamic tree paste or foliar micronutrients, or to help the tree’s immune system.
Newly planted trees are especially vulnerable, so be ready.
Brown Rot on Cherry trees
Are your twigs, blossoms or fruit wilting? This might be Brown Rot which tends to happen when you have a wet spring.
The rotted fruit are called “mummies” and you want to be sure and remove all of these and take them off-site.
As with many diseases, proper air circulation is critical. Proper winter pruning is key to cherry tree health.
Remove all infected parts of the tree. As with all infected plant parts, do not compost them, but take them off-site. Also, remove and take off-site any leaf litter or mulch under the canopy of infected trees.
Apply organic copper, sulfur, or lime-sulfur fungicide at petal fall, midsummer, and again in fall.
Dealing with Critters Issues when Growing Cherries
Scale on Cherry Trees
Scale looks like little bumps on the branches of your fruit tree. They are really live critters. Try a horticultural oil in the spring.
Lady bugs and parasitic wasps eat scale insects if you have them. Perennial fennel is a host for ladybugs, so having some as a companion for your cherry trees could be beneficial. Both Coccophagus lycimnia and Aphytis melinus wasps are useful for controlling scale.
Making a spray of a teaspoon each of organic non-toxic detergent and neem oil mixed in a gallon of water and sprayed on the trees may also help.
I have seen some people put Vaseline on the scale, which apparently smothers them. This issue I have with this treatment is that Vaseline is a petroleum product and not organic.
Deer
I always say the best way to deal with deer is to fence your growing area. This is especially true if you are growing the smaller sized trees.
The tops of tall standard size trees will be above deer browse level. Therefore although deer may eat the bottom fruit, they won’t get the top.
I have tried many different deletants, but the physical fence is the most effective. Repellents tend to need to be reapplied on a regular basis and eventually the deer get used to them, so you have to switch to another repellent.
Birds love Cherries Too
Speaking of tree size and critter considerations, I know several people who grow standard sized trees, allow the deer to get the bottom, and the birds the top and they take the fruit from the middle of the tree.
Reflective bird scare tape works to deter them, as does old CDs that when hung work like the tape, reflecting and flashing sunlight in the breeze.
Rodent Deterrent for your Cherry Trees
Rodents like rabbits and voles can munch the bark around the bottom of the tree, especially in winter.
Most rodents don’t like the smell of daffodils, so I recommend planting a ring of them around each tree, about a foot out from where the full size trunk will be.
I hope this has inspired you to grow some cherry trees in your garden. If you missed the first two parts of this series, here are the links to read them.
Part one of Top Tips to Grow Cherry Trees includes pollination, and tips for choosing trees by type and size.
In Part two of Top Tips for Growing Cherry Trees, you’ll uncover the best way to choose where to plant your cherry trees and how to plant them.
As always, may your garden be abundant!
Debby