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Cherry branches dry for a variety of reasons - this process can trigger 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 provoked the ailment.
Several reasons why cherries dry up after winter
Cherry branches often wither in spring. This happens because the tree freezes in winter and cannot recover from low temperatures. In turn, freezing of the branches can happen due to the fact that the wrong variety was selected for this 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 is not sufficiently insulated in the fall. In order to protect the plantings from frost, it is recommended to cover them for the winter.
List of reasons why cherry branches and leaves dry after flowering
It is generally accepted that abundant flowering inevitably weakens fruit trees, as a result of which they become much easier to get sick. If the cherry has dried up after flowering, it is most likely caused by a fungus.
Diseases in which cherry leaves and branches dry out
Moderately warm weather with frequent rains is an extremely favorable environment for many fungal infections. Among them, the following diseases pose the greatest threat:
- Moniliosis. The first signs of the disease - not only individual leaves curl on the tree, but whole branches dry out. Infection usually occurs in the spring during flowering. By the end of June, the fungus can spread to all branches.
- Clasterosporium disease, or perforated spot. At the initial stage of development, this fungal disease affects only the leaves, which curl, dry 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 up. Ultimately, the tree may shed its leaves much ahead of schedule.
- Coccomycosis. This fungus also affects mainly the leaves. At first, they become covered with reddish-brown spots, but then they quickly turn yellow and fall off. A pinkish bloom appears on the underside of the leaves.
- Anthracnose. The first sign of the disease is rusty spots on the leaves and rotting of the fruit. With severe damage, the cherry sheds 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. The leaves on the tree may curl in the following cases:
- The root system of the cherry blossomed, as a result of which the leaves began to dry quickly.This is usually due to planting the tree too deep. Also, drying can be caused by abundant dressing and too frequent watering.
- Landing in a low-lying area or in an area with a high level of groundwater. This arrangement is fraught with root rot. Ultimately, damage to the root system leads to the fact that the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out.
- Cherries are poorly ventilated. Because of this, after prolonged rains, water is retained in a dense crown, and high humidity is an ideal environment for the spread of the fungus.
- Thickening of plantings. Each tree must have a sufficient feeding area.
Soil composition
Another reason cherries dry out after flowering is lack of fertilizer. She simply does not have enough nutrition to set fruits, as a result of which the leaves begin to roll, which quickly dry and fall off. Timely feeding 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 are used for stone fruit crops.
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, a solution of ammophoska has a good effect on planting - 30 g of 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 are:
- Ignoring seasonal pruning. Cherries should be thinned from time to time to rejuvenate old trees.
- Debris accumulates in the area of the trunk circle. Fallen leaves, broken branches and rotten fruits must be removed in a timely manner so that pests do not start in this mass. The grass is mowed under the cherries.
- Lack of loosening. The row spacing and the trunk circle should sometimes be slightly dug up.
- Excessive or insufficient watering. Rotting or drying out of the roots leads to one result - the leaves and branches of the cherry begin to dry out. The optimal watering regime is once every two months. In this case, about 3-4 buckets of water are consumed for each tree.
- Gum therapy, or gommosis. The disease is characterized by the fact that not only the leaves dry on the cherry, but also the resin flows from the branches. This happens again due to excessive watering and a large amount of fertilizer. If the disease is started, it can lead to a complete cessation of the growth of the tree and its death.
Dead bark on cherries must be peeled off with the onset of autumn
Planting varieties that are not resistant to fungal diseases
Planting a crop of varieties resistant to the fungus helps to minimize the risk of leaf drying on cherries. The weakest in this regard are the Vladimirskaya and Lyubskaya cherries - they are more likely to suffer from fungal infections than others. Also, in areas unfavorable for drying out of leaves, it is not recommended to plant felt cherries.
What to do if the cherry dries up
If cherry leaves wilt after winter or flowering, treatment may vary. If the plantings are affected by a fungus, the cherries are sprayed with fungicides. With gommosis and mechanical damage, treatment with garden varnish and copper sulfate helps. Errors in agricultural technology can be corrected by transplanting a plant, applying fertilizers or pruning dried shoots.
Pruning cherries if branches and leaves dry
At the first sign of moniliosis, the branches of the cherry are cut off. At the same time, it is not enough to remove the diseased areas - they additionally capture 10-15 cm of healthy wood. If the tree is in the last stages of drying, the infected branches are cut out completely. All removed shoots must be burned. Additionally, it is recommended to tend the cherries during the summer months, cutting off damaged branches as needed.
The pruning procedure is completed by applying a garden varnish to the cuts. You can also use a solution of copper sulfate.
How to spray cherries if the leaves are drying
If the leaves dry on the cherry due to the fungus, the plantings are sprayed according to the following scheme:
- for the first time, the treatment is carried out on the swollen kidneys;
- the second time - during flowering;
- the third treatment falls on the period after harvest;
- the fourth time the trees are treated after they have shed their leaves.
At the same time, the following tools have proven themselves well:
- Before flowering, you can use Topsin-M, Teldor or Horus.
- For klyasterosporiosis use "Skor" or "Topaz".
- Treatment with a urea solution (40 g of substance per 1 liter of water) helps against coccomycosis.
- With moniliosis, Nitrafen helps from drying out of leaves.
- If the leaves dry out due to anthracnose, the plantings are sprayed with copper sulfate (50 g per 10 l of water).
How to save cherries from drying out
If the cherry withers after flowering due to gommosis, treatment begins with the fact that all resin clots are carefully cut off. After that, the lesions are smeared with copper sulfate (1%), garden pitch or sorrel juice. Severely damaged branches are cut to the very base.
After freezing, frost holes form on the cherry, due to which the leaves then quickly dry and curl. If the frostbite is mild, it is enough to tighten 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 liquid;
- then the cracks are smeared with garden pitch;
- at the end, a mixture of mullein and clay, taken in equal proportions, is applied.
Transverse frosts are treated by grafting cuttings. Cherries with a frostbitten stem, but actively functioning roots, are cut off, leaving one stump. Among the grafted shoots, the largest is chosen and looked after as a full-fledged seedling.
Is it possible to revive a dried cherry tree
Sometimes planting 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, it is necessary 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 trunk circle is loosened and the cherry is provided with abundant regular watering. In the same way, you can help plantations 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 transplanted. The state of the roots will tell you whether it is worth doing. If they still contain moisture, then they are slightly trimmed to remove dead tissue and give new cells access to food. 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 l of water. After that, the cherry can be moved to another place.
Unfortunately, if the cut wood is dry, like the root system, it will no longer be possible to save the tree. Also, the chances of recovery with a strong fungal infection are extremely small - 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 hit the cherry a second time.
How to protect cherries from drying out
If the cherry has begun to dry, it sometimes takes a very long time to understand the reasons and eliminate the consequences. It is much easier to avoid such a situation at all.
For prevention purposes, it is recommended to adhere to the following tips for planting and caring for this crop:
- For landing, choose a place on a hill. It should be well lit and ventilated.
- Groundwater at the site of planting cherries should lie no higher than 1.5 m from the surface of the earth.
- In no case should the plantings be thickened. The optimal distance between cherry trees is 2-3 m.
- From time to time it is necessary to prune dry and damaged branches in order to rejuvenate the tree.
- Dead fruits cannot be left on the tree to rot further, they are removed as they appear.
- The trunk circle is treated with fungicides 1-2 times a year. For these purposes, fit "Fitosporin" or "Fundazol".
- It is necessary to whitewash not only the trunk of the tree, but also the skeletal branches. For additional protection against leaf drying, you can add copper sulfate to the whitewash. The recommended time for whitewashing is autumn, when the cherry will shed its foliage.
- Cracks in the bark and mechanical damage should be timely lubricated with garden varnish so that the tree does not begin to dry out from the resulting infection.
- Top dressing cannot be neglected. Fertilizers are applied to the soil 2-3 times a season.
- It is better not to leave fallen leaves under the tree. All debris in the area of the trunk circle is removed.
- In autumn and spring, the soil under the cherries is dug to a shallow depth.
Separately, it is worth noting such a preventive measure as the selection of a variety. In order to avoid problems with drying out due to fungus, preference is given to those varieties of cherries that are distinguished by good resistance to it. There are no varieties with absolute immunity against fungal diseases, however, two varieties have proven themselves well in this regard:
- Spunk;
- Anadolskaya cherry.
These are thermophilic varieties that are best planted in the south of the country. Resistant varieties of the middle lane include the following types:
- Brunette;
- Octave;
- Novella;
- Griot Belarusian.
Conclusion
Cherry branches sometimes dry even with the most experienced gardeners, and sometimes it is not easy to figure out what exactly led to this ailment. There can be many reasons: inappropriate soil composition, illness, violations of agricultural technology during planting and maintenance, excessive or, conversely, poor watering, etc. On the other hand, if the leaves of a cherry are curled, this is far from a verdict for a tree. Planting is quite possible to restore even at later stages, if you follow all the rules.
For more information on how to treat cherry trees if their leaves are curled, see the video below:
