Diseases and pests of cherries and their control - spider mites, weevils, caterpillars, chemical treatment methods

Classification of cherry diseases

Diseases of stone fruits and cherries are divided into 3 main groups:

Viral.
Fungal.
Infectious.

The main causative agent of diseases on cherries is different types of fungi and their spores. To combat, you will need to stock up on fungicides and strictly follow the recommendations that you read in this article.

Viral

Viral diseases are one of the most terrible types of diseases, which lead to tree removal if treatment is not started in time. This is the only way to prevent the spread of spores to neighboring areas. Cherries treated with chemicals slow down in development, and complete or partial loss of yield occurs:

Ring spots are one of the most common types of this spectrum of diseases. They can infect up to 90% of all nearby stone fruit trees. The main symptom is the appearance on the foliage of light green rings and lines with blurred boundaries. Breeders have developed several varieties that can resist the effects of the disease. The main “sadness” of the gardener is the manifestation of the main symptoms 2-3 years after infection.

Viruses are transmitted by pollen or when a damaged seedling is grafted onto a healthy tree. A plant infected with a viral disease slows down its growth and development by 20%. The percentage of yield loss increases by a third.

“Small-fruited” - the affected plants bear small fruits, with uneven ripening of the fruits and their weak, as if washed-out coloring. Scientists cannot identify the causative agent of the disease with 100% certainty. Plants not treated with chemicals produce fruits with soft stones, and foliage with a purple color in the spaces between the veins. Trees begin to shed their leaves early.
“Wood pitting” affects most types of stone fruit garden crops. In this case, the growth of the tree slows down, and the crown grows with a spreading structure of skeletal branches. The foliage curls into a tube, as if a tree is infected with a leaf roller, and acquires a chlorotic or bronze hue. Early leaf fall is possible.

Annual growth weakened due to a poorly developing root system of the tree. The fruits are small, deformed and have poor taste. The first sign of the disease is cuts in the bark and removal of small areas of trunk covering.

Fungal

Among these types of cherry diseases, we will highlight the main, most famous diseases.

Cherry disease	Symptoms	Treatment options
Hole spot	Light brown spots form on the affected leaves, along the edge of which there is a border colored red-brown. Gradually, the affected areas dry out, and through holes form in their place. The surface of the shoots becomes covered with spots, the bark cracks and gum appears in this place.	For treatment, you will need to remove damaged foliage and shoots from the area. Weeds and young growth are constantly removed from the tree trunk area. For treatment, prepare a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture, or use any contact fungicide. Repeated treatment with chemicals is carried out after 7-10 days.
Moniliosis or gray mold	Initial infection occurs during the beginning of cherry blossoms in the wet and warm season. Small “pustules”, painted white, appear on the petioles and on the inner surfaces of the foliage. In appearance they look like chains with frequent branches. Spores are carried by birds, insects or simply by the wind. Once on the fruit, the fungus causes the formation of brown spots on them, which grow and completely cover the fruit. After a decade, the fruits begin to fly off prematurely and become covered with yellowish pillows. The fungus becomes active in early spring, during the first warm period.	To treat damaged trees, you will need to prepare a solution of fungicides according to the instructions. Preparations popular among gardeners: "Azocene"; "Topsin"; "Horus" is the most used by gardeners. For preparation, 15 g of the substance is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
"Anthracnose" of stone fruits	The disease affects the fruits, small dark dots form on them. As they develop, they grow and turn into pale pink bumps. Affected fruits, especially with frequent rains and high air humidity, mummify and fall off prematurely. If treatment is started at the wrong time, loss of up to 80% of the harvest is possible. Anthracnose is often found on grapes and currants.	Contact fungicides are used for treatments. It is recommended to use “Abiga-Pik” or “Poliram”. Repeated treatment is carried out before the flowers appear and immediately after flowering ends. The trees are sprayed a third time at intervals of 15 days.
Rust	A fungal disease caused by the pathogenic spores “Gymnosporangium sabinae”. In the first period, the infected foliage becomes covered with small greenish spots with a yellow tint. They gradually grow, and the affected areas of the leaves swell. A gradually darkening powdery coating appears on the foliage. Rust on pears and goblet rust on currants are common. For control, treatment in the spring with a 5% Bordeaux solution is used, repeated just before the flowers bloom, but a 1% solution of the drug is prepared.

Let us especially highlight the disease coccomycosis. It affects all parts of the tree, but very rarely the fruit. Full information about treatment methods and preventive measures can be obtained by reading a separate article on our website.

Infectious

Among these types of diseases, we will highlight several that are the most terrible for plants:

Pockets

This type of infectious disease affects most species and varieties of garden stone fruit trees. Infection occurs when plants are infected with the fungus “Taphrina cerasi”. The appearance of the first fruits on the trees with obvious deformation is the first sign of cherry damage. On the tree, the normal fruits are replaced by pockets resembling bean pods.
It is recommended to carry out the first treatment at the stage of swelling buds. Horus solutions and 3% Bordeaux solution are recommended for use. Before the main flowering begins, the treatment is repeated, at this stage a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or “scor” is used. Recommendations for dilution of various contact fungicides are indicated on the packaging.

Curly

The pathogenic fungi “Taphrina deformans” are responsible for the damage to cherries and the growth of deformed foliage on them. The leaves gradually change color, all the foliage on the tree is affected, it grows unevenly and the crown becomes wavy, with sharp boundaries. The color of cherry leaves changes in a certain sequence:

the foliage begins to turn yellow;
then it becomes amber, with pink streaks;
is painted in a pink-violet hue;
in the final stage, the browned foliage begins to fall off prematurely.

To combat, you will need to remove and burn damaged parts of the plant and treat the tree with a solution of contact fungicide at the stage of blossoming on the bud branches. A solution of “Skora” or “Horus” is recommended for use. At the initial stage and as a preventive measure, it is recommended to periodically treat the garden with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.

Bacterial burn

A disease caused by pathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora. First signs of damage:

growth buds swell greatly, but their growth and subsequent blooming are absent;
the foliage and annual shoots on the tree begin to darken;
the surface of the bark softens, a colorless or yellow-tinged liquid emerges from it.

Infection often occurs during the flowering phase; during this period it is important to carefully examine your pets and immediately begin treating the plants with antibiotic solutions - “Streptomicide”, “Fitolavin”.

To prevent the disease, it is necessary to disinfect tools, sanitary cutting of dead wood and infected parts of the tree.

Verticillium

The disease affects gardens in southern climate zones. Causes unexplained wilting and drying out of trees. Two forms of the disease have been identified – acute and chronic. Acute, causes the wood to dry out after 7-10 days. The chronic course of the disease gradually affects individual areas of the tree, killing it within a few years.

The disease affects 400 plant species. It is not recommended to plant vegetables between rows of cherries, as this leads to infections. To combat it, you will need to remove and burn affected and dried branches beyond the area, and be sure to cover the cut areas with a thin film of garden varnish or oil paint. By ensuring normal conditions, feeding and performing all agrotechnical measures, as well as treating with chemical solutions, the chronic type of disease can be defeated.

If the tree has dried out, it is uprooted and the hole is filled with carbiotone solution; up to 200 ml of the substance will need to be added per 1 m2.

The pit is also treated with formaldehyde, adding it in a certain proportion - up to 1 liter of chemical is added per 1 m2. The treatment is repeated after 1-2 months.

Types of spider mites

Spider mites belong to the arachnid family and have more than 1,300 species. Common types include:

common spider mite. This species lives in colonies on the undersides of leaves. It is a polyphagous insect, which damages more than 200 species of plants. In different climates it reproduces from 8 to 18 times a year.
hawthorn mite. This species prefers stone fruit and pome crops, and loves apple trees most of all. Females differ in appearance from males in body shape and coloring. During the growing season, the mite produces up to 8 generations.
red greenhouse mite. A thermophilic species, in regions with cold climates it lives only indoors. Prolific - reproduces up to 18 times per year.
Atlantic tick. Loves high humidity and can produce 5–6 generations. Inoculates both the upper and lower parts of the leaf.
Turkestan spider mite. The pest is also a polyphage; it damages the leaves of more than 48 plant species. Gives up to 10 generations per year.
cyclamen spider mite. It has an oval yellow body. Does not like light, settles on the upper side of the leaves. The accumulation of cyclamen mites resembles lumps of dust.

Pests

Pest	Symptoms and possible harm	Ways to combat parasites
Weevils	Cherry weevils eat away the buds, flowers and ovaries of future fruits. In summer, females lay eggs on the seeds of affected fruits. The pest larvae are capable of eating away the entire core of the seed. If the fight against weevils is started at the wrong time, it can lead to complete loss of the crop.	To prevent damage in the fall, the surface under the crown is dug up. In the spring, after the first beetles appear, they can be easily removed by simply shaking them into a container of water. For chemical treatments, solutions of Kinmiks, Karbofos, Inta-Vit are used, but they are used only after flowering.
Caterpillars	Caterpillars of various pests attack foliage, young shoots and cherry fruits. The caterpillar of the American butterfly can cause the entire tree to dry out, entwining it with cobwebs and eating all the foliage. The defeat of young seedlings by these parasites is especially terrible.	To combat it, you will need to remove damaged areas of the crown and young shoots, and it is also recommended to install containers of water under the trees and hang low-power electric light bulbs above them. In this way, a large number of moths that lay eggs using simple traps are destroyed. Various chemicals are used. You can use the drugs already indicated or use “Fufanon” or systemic substances. The main thing is to immediately begin the fight against tree-eating aggressors and treat the garden with any effective solutions.
Spider mite	Inconspicuous, tiny arachnid pests can cover the garden with cobwebs and infect trees, destroying crops and causing the death of cherries. The average size of ticks is 0.5 mm. Pests change the color of their bodies throughout the entire period - in winter they become red, and in summer they turn gray-yellow-green with numerous dark spots. The affected garden looks like this - all the surfaces of the tree branches are covered with cobwebs, and at the ends of the branches there is a mass of pests swarming, actively eating all the greens and fruits.	At an early stage, simply washing the trees with soapy water or any dish soap, liquid soap and a solution of washing powder helps. Among the folk solutions we highlight: 1.5 - 2 kg of onions, finely chopped; the mass is filled with 10 liters of water, it is better to use rainwater; the mixture is stirred and left for 7-8 hours. The branches, trunk and foliage are treated with the prepared solution on all sides. Among the chemicals, we highlight solutions: "Anti-mite"; "Aktelika"; "Ditox"; "Fufanona"; "Tivita"; "Tagore".
Ants	These insects are capable of infecting the root system of a tree when digging an anthill and its passages. Many small roots are damaged by insects, the tree receives insufficient nutrition, it may slow down in development or die. But the main harmful effect is that they contribute to the spread and reproduction of aphids on tree branches. Colonies of insects spread pests throughout all the trees of the site, and extract sweet milk from aphids.	To combat insects, special catching belts or sticky traps are used, which do not allow pests to spread freely throughout the garden. Simply wrapping the barrel with thin foil and bending the edge so that a negative angle is formed will help. Insects will not be able to overcome such a barrier. To combat this, the industry produces various preparations that are embedded in the soil or treated the soil surface.
Slugs	Slugs spread during wet periods or when trees are overwatered. Pests eat young annual shoots and cherry fruits. Slugs are able to get inside the fruit and completely eat it from the inside.	For control, preparations based on “Metaldehyde” pesticides are used. The granules or powder are embedded in the soil and, when eaten, cause the death of pests. The preparations “Thunderstorm” and “Slug Eater” are popular among gardeners. Slugs die within 3-4 hours after eating the pellets.

Various insects are capable of creating webs in the garden.

The spider mite is a very small insect, whose body length is no more than 1 mm. The web that he weaves is a cloudy translucent film with dark grains of sand inside - these are eggs.

The main source of food for spider mites is plant sap, which it sucks from young shoots, leaves and buds. This creature does not pose a direct danger to humans, however, given the peculiarities of its existence, we can say with confidence that it is a rather serious pest of fruit and berry crops. In the process of feeding, spider mites deprive plants of important substances, which is why they lose vitality and gradually dry out.

Having settled on a tree, the spider mite begins to entangle first the leaves and then entire branches with its web. The females lay eggs right on it and after some time, voracious larvae emerge from the eggs. The young growth attaches itself to the plant and takes away the nutritious juices. Curled leaves appear on infected branches, which quickly dry out and fall off.

But the spider mite is far from the only pest of fruit trees that entangles them in its web. In addition to it, garden crops in the warm season are capable of attacking:

The main damage is caused by caterpillars, and they are the main creators of thick and dense cobwebs on trees, which outwardly may look like lumps of cotton wool. Adults of these insects are winged - they do not pose a particular threat to plants, but at the same time they reproduce very actively and quickly increase the size of the colony.

On a note! The web that appears on trees as a result of the vital activity of sap-sucking and leaf-eating parasites is the main source of the development of pathogenic fungi!

The caterpillars themselves live in dense cocoons made of cobwebs formed on trees, and only one can contain a fairly large colony of parasites. Such pests include the ermine moth, which at the end of the last century was able to destroy quite a large number of bird cherry trees in the Moscow region.

You can find cobwebs on fruit trees not only in the warm season, but even in the cold season. The pest that weaves it is called hawthorn. When infected, white dense cocoons hang directly on the branches of various fruit trees. In this case, caterpillars are also harmful. They twist the leaves, entangle them in a dense layer of cobwebs and hibernate right inside them.

Trunk diseases

Defeat	Description	Ways to fight
Spots appear on the tree trunk	This occurs when the plant is affected by several types of diseases. Among the main ones, we highlight “Clusterosporiosis”. The main symptoms of hole spotting are round spots with a light brown color appearing on the leaves. After 10-14 days, the surface of the leaf under the spots is destroyed and it becomes full of holes.	For control, preventative pruning of affected shoots and removal of foliage are important. Maintaining an optimal level of humidity under trees with thinned out centers and removing weeds and young root shoots. To treat the affected areas of the trunk or branches, they are cleaned and coated with a solution of copper sulfate, mixing 100 g of the substance with 10 liters of water. After pre-treatment, the areas are covered with garden varnish or painted over with oil paint.
The bark is bursting	This happens for several reasons: lack or absence of useful microelements; sunburn of a cherry tree trunk.	For prevention, whitewashing of the entire tree trunk with lime in the spring is used, as well as possible insulation of trees growing in harsh winter conditions. It will be necessary to add additional nitrogen fertilizer in the spring and potassium-phosphorus fertilizer in the fall. Treatment involves cleansing the affected areas and subsequent treatment with iron sulfate. Then the affected areas are painted over with paint or covered with garden varnish.
Gum treatment	Gum discharge occurs in advanced cases of many stone fruit diseases. Areas with escaping resin must be treated immediately. The resin contains fungal spores, which are spread throughout the garden by wind, birds and insects.	During treatment, preventive treatments against diseases and garden pests will help. The affected areas are cleared of resin to a clean surface, treated with copper or iron sulfate and then covered with garden pitch.

Diseases affecting fruits

Among these diseases, we highlight 2 main ones:

Moniliosis

The disease appeared only in the 90s.
All parts of cherries and other stone fruits are affected. Affected surfaces look as if fire has passed through them. First of all, the foliage becomes infected, then the bark becomes covered with gray rot and it affects the fruits. They lose their presentation and become covered with a gray coating. For control, it is recommended to use treatment with any solution of a contact copper-containing fungicide, iron sulfate, or “Oleucuprite.” As preventive measures, removal and burning of affected trunks, shoots and foliage, removal of weeds and undergrowth under trees are used.

Also read why the leaves on the cherry tree do not bloom.

Anthracnose

Cherry fruits are damaged. They are covered with small light spots that are difficult to notice. Therefore, the onset of the disease is often missed.
Then the cherries become covered with small bumps covered with a pink coating. The rapid development of the disease begins during the rainy period or with abundant watering. During treatment, preventive measures and three treatments with Polyrama solution are used:

before flowering begins;
immediately after finishing;
14-16 days after the last spraying.

No fruiting

The answer to the question “why don’t the buds bloom on the cherries?” there will be coccomycosis - a fungal disease that damages all parts of plants and can cause a lack of fruiting and death of the tree. The disease causes premature leaf fall.

The plant does not receive enough nutrition and approaches winter unprepared and weakened. After the end of the cold period, such a tree is weakened and will not be able to bloom or bear fruit.

Most fungal diseases can cause weakened plants and a lack of flowers in the spring.

All types of industrial or folk solutions against cherry diseases are used for treatments. You can read more about methods of treating trees affected by coccomycosis in a separate article on our website.

Treatment options

Here is a schedule of work in the garden to eradicate the possibility of cherry disease.

Tree development stage	Pests and diseases	Preparations and agrotechnical measures
Before the buds open	Destruction of overwintered pests and fungi.	Foliage and all damaged shoots are removed. The affected areas of the bark are stripped back to healthy bark and treated with copper sulfate. The trunk and skeletal branches are cleaned with a scraper of dead bark, in which most spores and pests overwinter. For spraying, use a solution of 200 g of Nitrofen per bucket of water. When processing, it is important to fill all cracks and damaged areas of the bark, skeletal branches and growths, as well as the soil under the plant.
Beginning of budding	During this period, it is important to treat the garden against coccomycosis, mollinal burn, clasteropsoriosis and other diseases.	All parts of the wood are treated with a solution of 1% Bordeaux mixture or a solution of copper suspension is used. To prepare, 30-40 g of the substance is diluted in a bucket of water. To destroy aphids, honeyweed or spider mites, 70 g of karbofos or 60 g of benzophosphate are added to the prepared fungicide solution.
After flowering	Preventive measures against cherry diseases and pests.	All vegetation is removed from under the tree, the soil is constantly loosened and then a layer of mulch is added. A cloth or film is spread on the ground and all the dying fruit ovaries are shaken off, which are taken out and burned. To prepare the solution, use a solution of 30-40 g of copper oxychloride per bucket of water to destroy pathogenic spores and an ampoule of “Fufanon” to combat sawflies and other pests.
Throughout the summer	After each heavy rain and when the first signs of disease or pest damage appear, the garden is sanitized.	This is the time for treatments against the codling moth. Any insecticide listed above can be used. It is recommended to use 60 g of benzophosphate per 10 liters of water and add a certain amount of Abiga-Pika to the solution, the dosage of which is indicated on the package.
After harvest	Treatments against the full range of diseases and parasites.	Carrying out the entire cycle of preventive work with sanitary cutting of damaged shoots and removal of foliage in the pre-winter period. The soil under the tree is dug up and potassium-phosphorus fertilizer is added. The tree trunk is whitened with lime. During this period, slugs and sawflies become active. A solution of 10 g of “Ro-Vikurt” and 10 liters of water is prepared against sawflies and 1% iron sulfate is added.

Why is spring treatment necessary?

With the arrival of spring, not only the trees in the garden awaken from sleep. With the first warm rays of the sun, pests and pathogens of various diseases become active. It is this factor that forces gardeners to pay increased attention to treatments in the spring. Trees in the garden should be sprayed with insecticides and fungicides. When carrying out manipulation, you must follow the basic rules, otherwise the procedure will not give a good result.

Attention! In order to detect the problem in time and then eliminate it, you need to carefully consider the pests that are active on cherries.

Prevention

Let us examine in more detail the entire range of preventive work against garden pests and cherry diseases.

The main concern of prevention is to ensure sufficient and proper care of the plant and prevent the occurrence of diseases:

careful collection and burning of weeds, shoots, fallen leaves and burning of plant waste outside the site;
sanitary pruning of damaged branches and shoots, especially before the beginning of leaf fall, and removal beyond the area;
introduction of mineral and organic substances;
processing and protection from damage to tree bark;
removing gum growths from the surfaces of the trunk and branches;
implementation of the above calendar of preventive chemical treatments.

Such simple works help to avoid damage to cherries by fungal and bacterial diseases and protect the plant from pests.

conclusions

Trees are affected by many different diseases, but this can be eradicated by performing simple agrotechnical measures and strictly and carefully monitoring the condition of the foliage and bark of the trees.
At the first signs of disease, plants are immediately treated with contact fungicides or biological preparations, for example Fundazol. After this treatment, you will not need to wait 15-20 days to eat cherries. In any case, when picking cherries, be sure to rinse them under running water.
All chemicals are toxic, so before spraying, prepare eye and throat protection. If the solution gets on an open area of skin, wash it with warm water and soap after finishing work.
A lush crown that is thinned out in the center and the absence of weeds, young root shoots and a thick layer of mulch in the tree trunk circle will prevent damage to most diseases. Increased humidity and the appearance of spots on the foliage are a signal to start spraying cherries against diseases.

Most cherry diseases closely overlap with pear diseases.

Measures to actively combat spider mites using special preparations

What drugs are suitable to combat spider mites? Full list

During the growing season, spraying plants with the following preparations: Actellik, Altyn, Antiklesch, Break, Vertimek, Danadim, Desant, Ditox, Evrodim, Karate Zeon, Karbofot, Kemifos, Kinfos, colloidal sulfur, Kungfu, Lambda-S, Novaktion, Omite, Sensei, Tagore , Terradim, Tiovit Jet, Fufanon.

Damage to indoor roses by spider mites

The vast majority of acaricidal drugs have contact and intestinal action, but some (for example, Actellik) also have a fumigant effect.

When using contact acaricides, more frequent re-applications are required. If there is a delay in spraying, the females have time to lay eggs and restore their numbers.

Treatments of any type should be carried out immediately after detection of spider mite settlements. The mite's web has a water-repellent property. The later the treatment is carried out, the more difficult it will be to achieve positive results even with high doses of the drug.

Spider mite damage