Cherry tree: care, calendar, diseases
Everything to care for a home cherry tree: when to prune, graft, spot diseases, and ensure pollination.
cherry tree care calendar
| Period | Task |
|---|---|
| March | Add mature compost without touching the trunk |
| May | Set up a monitoring trap for the cherry fruit fly |
| July | Prune lightly after harvest, in dry weather |
cherry tree pollination
The cherry tree is usually self-sterile: it needs another variety of cherry tree, flowering at the same time, nearby. Learn more about pollination.
Pruning and grafting the cherry tree
Prune
- Prune with moderation after harvest and in dry weather.
- Remove dead or diseased wood first.
- Avoid repeated large cuts.
Graft
- Use a rootstock compatible with the sweet or sour cherries concerned.
- Protect the cuts carefully against drying out.
- Check quickly that the graft has taken and watch for suckers.
The cherry tree heals poorly in cold, wet conditions.
cherry tree diseases and pests
Brown rot possibleThe browning and the pads on the fruit are consistent with a rot that spreads mainly throu…Aphids likelySmall insects, curled leaves and sticky honeydew point to an aphid attack.…Shot hole disease (coryneum)Small purple spots that fall out: leaves look riddled with shot. Common on cherry, plum, a…Cherry worms (cherry fruit fly or drosophila)Small white larvae in the fruit, soft areas, dropping fruit: flies laying eggs in the cher…Chlorosis (deficiency, often iron)Leaves yellow between veins that stay green, mainly on young shoots: not a contagious dise…Scale insectsSmall fixed bumps on the bark or stems, sticky honeydew and a black deposit (sooty mould):…Collar rot (Phytophthora)A dark ooze at the base of the trunk and general decline: a soil fungus attacks the collar…Water stress (lack of water)Dry leaf edges, soft foliage in the heat and early leaf drop: the tree is short of water, …Bacterial canker (stone fruit)Sunken bark patches oozing gum, dying buds and dieback: a bacterium common on cherry, apri…
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