2nd year of rotting fruit on Cherry tree

9 years ago

Type of tree: North Star (pretty sure, but not 100% - it's a sour cherry - I seem to recall the tree being labeled "Dwarf")
Height of tree: 15-18'
Age of tree: 6-7 years
Place of purchase: Lowe's
Weather of late: 1st year of rot: rain, nothing but blasted rain; this year: snow, lots of snow.

About 4 years ago, we noticed two canker spots on the tree. One on a joint of the tree where a branch met the trunk, and one about 4-6 inches from the base. Lot's of oozing that attracted ants. My husband read that we should cut the tree past the rot, but that meant taking down the tree since the bigger canker was at the base. Long story short, we never got around to it. I swear the tree knew our intentions, because that spring, we got a massive amount of cherries that ripened (I was actually wishing for birds at that point, since I had more than I could ever harvest). The next year we got a decent crop - not as many as the previous year, but enough to share with our avian friends.

Last year we were expecting the same. We got lots of green clusters, then BAM! they all went black. Almost overnight, it seemed. Not a single one ripened. Not. A. One. Leaves are green, tree "looks" healthy. Canker is dried up and healed over.

This year, we have green fruit in abundance again, and danged if they aren't starting to rot before ever getting close to ripening. Grrrrr! Leaves still green, tree still looks healthy (except for the rotting fruit that even the birds won't touch). Sigh.

I've read that the canker will cause the fruit rot, but the first "mega" crop was the spring after we noticed it and we got another crop, (albeit, a smaller one) the following year. Now tho, we have had two years of rotting fruit.

So two questions: 1) what is the culprit here? Is it the canker (despite the two good crop years following its appearance and apparent healing), or is it the two years of wet weather? 2) Now that we've had two years of rotting fruit, will this tree ever bounce back (say, if we get a dryer winter/spring) and produce edible cherries or is it done?

Thanks for all your help.

Comments (3)

iowajer
9 years ago
I would guess it's the dreaded Brown Rot. Once that starts it moves rather quickly.

I had it a few years ago and some of the experts here on GW pointed me to a product called Monterey Fungi Fighter. I was unable to locate that locally (in a very short time that I had to get it applied) so I found a product from Bonide called Infuse that had the same active ingredient.

It worked just like they said it would!

I want to say it was Harvestman or Fruitnut who had guided me on this one, but they had said you can even use it in a rescue operation. In other words, if you have spotted early signs of Brown Rot you can spray with MFF (or in my case Infuse) and it'll stop the BR and you'll have saved some of the crop anyway.

It worked for me.

Going forward from that experience, I was much more diligent in making sure I collected and discarded any of the "Mummies" (the shriveled up fruit with the nasty moldy looking spore things, etc) as well a keeping things really clean under the tree.

And then being diligent in a spray schedule with regard to applying a Fungicide.

Now when I harvest my cherries, one of the last things I do after picking for the day is to go around the underneath of the tree and pick up all the drops or bird pecked ones that I discard so that there's nothing under my tree except for grass.

Even if I'm dog tired after a day of harvesting I find the energy to get the drops off the ground and thrown away.

I think it really helps.

Others may have a different take on your cherry problem, but if it is BR the products noted and keeping a clean area may help out going forward.

This post was edited by iowajer on Mon, May 26, 14 at 9:08
Scott F Smith
9 years ago
Pamela, I think you got the complete answer from iowajer there. Brown rot tends to surprise people because it takes a few years to build up, then wham!

If you can't find MFF locally you can get it from Amazon etc.

Scott
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iowajer
9 years ago
I failed to comment on the oozing you mentioned, which may (or may not be...) a sign of bacterial canker, but the way I understand it you can kind of inoculate the tree some by use of a dormant copper spray.

And by all accounts it's best done beginning when the tree is young. I think most folks here seem to like Kocide 3000 (I think it's 3000 - I know it's Kocide) I haven't used that yet though. I have some Monterey Liqui-Cop that I use, but I plan to get the Kocide to try out once I'm out of Liqui-Cop since I think it seems to be the most widely recommended by those in the know.

But a spray just ahead of winter, and then in the spring before it wakes up probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

Maybe others will chime in, I know Jellyman was a real big help to me (as he once lived in Iowa, and his current Virginia climate is a lot like ours I guess) as was/is Scottsmith, Harvestman, Fruitnut, Drew, Mark, Jean001, and many, many others that have a wealth of knowledge to help those of us that are far less knowledgeable.

Absent all their help, and IÃ¢ÂÂd probably have taken a chainsaw to my tree by now!

I hope someone with some real knowledge chimes in, as Scott already has, because I know first hand how hopeless you feel when BR and possible Canker issues start appearing on your cherry tree. It's just an awful feeling!!!!!

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2nd year of rotting fruit on Cherry tree

Comments (3)

iowajer

Scott F Smith

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