Why cherry fruits turn red and dry on the tree and what needs to be done
The health of a fruit tree can be determined by its appearance. When the leaves begin to dry out, this is the first sign of a serious problem in the development of the plant. What to do when the cherry dries? The gardener thinks about this, looking at the cherry, with which yellowed leaves flew around in the middle of summer. And here the main thing is to identify the cause of the drying of the tree, fruits. And well-thought-out preventive measures will help avoid problems.
What could be the reasons
When the leaves on the cherry tree are bright green, without spots or dots, the plant is healthy and will bear fruit abundantly. But often during the flowering period, the leaves and branches begin to dry out. The reason for this lies in the fact that:
- the seedling was planted to a great depth, and the roots begin to undermine;
- too much moisture in the soil;
- lack or excess of mineral and organic substances in the area;
- the tree has been exposed to severe frosts in winter.
In the middle of summer, when the fruits appear, they may begin to dry out. The berries turn red, but their flesh shrivels and dries up. Instead of juicy cherries, bones covered with brown skin remain. Usually the phenomenon is typical for cool and humid summers, when the trees in the garden are attacked by pathogenic fungi or pests.
There is a spread of pathological processes in neglected orchards, where agricultural technology for the cultivation of stone fruit is not used. On the trunk diseased cherry note the presence of gum flowing from the trunk. Then the plant stops developing, dries up and dies.
Pest control
The main cherry pests feed on juices, sucking them out of leaves and fruits. Hence the loss of berry yield and drying of the tree. The danger is carried not only by adult insects, but also by their larvae. After pupation, insects spend the winter under the snow, in the ground, and in the spring, adults appear from them, which damage the future harvest, destroy the cherry.
Conduct pest control:
- cherry fly;
- aphids;
- sawfly;
- cherry shoot moth;
- hawthorn
It is necessary in advance, spraying the bushes and trees with insecticidal preparations in the spring, before bud break. It is better to choose means of systemic action. Among them are Iskra, Kinmiks. Sawflies look like a fly, and harm at the stage of the caterpillar, which leads to skeletonization of the leaves. When winter comes, the larvae in cocoons survive frosts in the upper soil layer.
After pupation, adult insects are born in the summer and start laying eggs. In one season, a sawfly can turn a cherry into a leafless tree. You can scare away the sawfly with sulfur smoke. And by digging up the trunk circle, you can destroy the larvae colonies in the ground.
Winter nests of hawthorn caterpillars are collected and destroyed in autumn. If left untouched, the caterpillars will damage the plants during the growing season.
You can fight aphids with folk remedies and chemicals. It is necessary to destroy the ant colonies that attract aphids to the cherry.
But it is necessary to carry out such work in the fall as:
- pruning of branches;
- processing of cracks on a tree trunk, cuts on branches with garden pitch;
- harvesting leaves, fallen fruits, branches, burning them;
- digging the trunk circle;
- spraying the soil under the tree with a solution of urea before winter.
If the work is carried out regularly, then the cherry will not be attacked by pests. But many of the insects contribute to the weakening of the tree. Hence the appearance of fungal infections.
Fungal diseases
A favorable period for the activation of pathogenic fungi is summer with abundant precipitation and air temperature no higher than 15-17 degrees Celsius.The fungus of moniliosis retains its viability well during periods of mild winters and infects stone fruits very quickly. When the tree begins to dry out in July, losing half of its foliage, this indicates an onset of the disease.
The disease manifests itself as a burn when the fungus enters the wood. Spores also affect berries, forming islets of gray rot on them. From the juicy pulp of the fruit, only dried seeds remain on the branches.
To save the cherry, the crown is urgently treated with the "Horus" preparation, after cutting off the affected part of the bush. After 2 weeks, they are sprayed with "Skor".
The symptoms of coccomycosis are visible to the naked eye. In summer, yellowed leaves begin to fall off the tree, although the crop is still hanging on the branches. It is necessary to fight the infection after the berries are picked. The leaves are raked into heaps and burned, and the near-trunk circle is spilled with a solution prepared from 400 grams of urea on a bucket of water. Spring treatment with Bordeaux liquid is carried out in April, while the kidneys are in a dormant state. It is necessary to repeat the spraying after the cherry tree blossoms.
To prevent the disease from returning, in the fall they are treated with preparations containing copper: "Ridomil", "Oksikhom".
The anthracnose fungus has a detrimental effect on the cherry bush. In addition to the appearance of spots on the leaves, rotting of the fruit is noted. At the first signs of the disease, you need to spray with a solution of copper sulfate, taking 50 grams per 10 liters of water. Bordeaux liquid with a concentration of 1% is also effective.
A stone fruit culture infected with clusterosporium loses its leaves, which turn brown and dry out. The fruits also become small, shrinking to the bone. Leaks of gum are visible on the shoots. Cherries are cured by spraying with Bordeaux liquid three times. First time in the budding stage, then immediately after flowering. The last treatment is carried out after 10-15 days. And the entire infected part of the tree must be destroyed.
Spores of the fungus false tinder fungus, appearing on the cherry, lead to the complete drying out of the tree. In July, it is necessary to remove the growths of the fungus, since at this time the spores have not yet formed. And the wounds that appeared after cutting the mushroom are smeared with garden var. Diseases overtake the tree with improper crop care.
General tips for drying cherries
If the cherry is found to be dry, action must be taken urgently. You don't want to lose the whole tree.
For this:
- They carry out treatment against diseases in several stages in spring and autumn. From drugs, the result will be from the means "Skor", "Horus", Bordeaux liquid. A few days before the appearance of flowers and after harvesting, it is imperative to carry out processing. And in the spring you need to whitewash the trunk with the addition of copper sulfate to the lime.
- Cut off dry shoots.The dried branches are sawed off or cut off with a pruner, capturing the healthy part by 12-15 centimeters.
- If the berries have dried up, they are harvested and destroyed as carriers of fungal spores.
- The seedling is transferred to another place. But first they dig it up, examine the roots. The underground part of the plant is slightly pruned and the cuttings are lowered for 4 hours in a solution of camphor alcohol (15 drops per half liter of water).
- Beaten with resin, gum shoots are cut out.
When the cherry dries due to the fact that the root collar begins to rot, it is necessary to remove the layer of mulch, regulating the moisture of the crop.
Preventive measures
Preventing cherries from drying out is easier than bringing them back to normal.
Preventive measures include:
- treatment of damaged parts of a cherry tree with garden varnish;
- cleaning and burning dry, diseased shoots, berries, leaves;
- digging up the soil in cherry plantings in autumn and spring;
- whitewashing the trunk in April and October with milk of lime;
- top dressing with potassium sulfide, dissolving 1 tablespoon in 3 liters of water;
- peat feeding before wintering.
Regular watering of the tree will save cherries from drying out. It is not necessary to wet the soil too much, but it is necessary to keep it moist at a depth of 5-10 centimeters. The plant is fed as needed, but it is necessary to loosen the soil in the root circle constantly, especially after rains. Before winter, they dig up a plot to destroy pest larvae wintering in the soil, fungus spores.
Prevents the occurrence of diseases by spraying with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate. It is better to carry out processing before flowering and after harvest.To exclude gum formation, it is necessary to dig grooves in the garden and water the cherry without stagnant water. Cherries will not dry out if you follow the rules of agricultural culture, carry out disease prevention, and protect from pests.
