Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: upfold on June 15, 2008, 11:38
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Hi I have a cherry tree that I recently bought, it is a smallish tree that I have been growing in a large pot in rich soil with chicken poo and compost. Two of the branches leaves have dropped off and the wood has turned black and there is only one branch still with leaves but they are now beging to go brown. My dad thinks it has a virus and there is nothing to prevent it from dying but I just thought Id ask if any body knows anyway of bringing it back to life.
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Any chance it is just very dry?
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Cherry trees do need a lot of water, but from what you describe it sounds more like fire blight. Its a fungus blown in on wind and looks like branches and leaves have been scorched. The dead parts will have to be cut off with secateurs or whatever - dipped after each cut in straight vinegar to keep it from spreading. Gather and burn all infected material. To the rest of the tree spray a one part white vinegar and 3-4 parts clean water solution completely saturating the tree, both sides of leaves and all bark. This should stop the fungus immediately. Keep watch for any return and spray again if necessary. Several others have got it this year as well. With your tree so young, its hard to say if it will survive, but at least you won't spread the disease.
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Theres Cherry Trees dying all over the country atm, from prunus bacterial canker, but it doesnt sound like that.
look at the leaves - are they silvery? - if so thats Silver Leaf. a fungal infection.
Otherwise its a bit odd. It COULD be fireblight, you can prove that by peeling some of the bark away on an affected branch, it should be mottled red-brown. On the other hand, theres never been an instance of fireblight on Prunus. Does the affected bark have patches of glistening white slime in damp conditions ?
The other far more worrying point is the Fireblight is a notifiable disease, and you must burn all affected material, leaves and branches.
There is a similar bacterial Blossom Blight, but usually strikes at blossom time in wet conditions, That looks similar to what you have at first, but doesnt spread to the extent yours has.
So, a bit odd IMO.
Could just be a form of dieback.