Landscape - Hard Year for Cherry Trees

This has been a hard year for cherry trees in the landscape. The following is some information on the topic from the University of Maryland.

Cherry Trees Defoliating

It has been a tough year for cherry trees. Many of the cherry trees in landscapes have had lots of yellowing foliage over the last 9 weeks from the very dry conditions. The winds and heavy rains last week have knocked a lot of foliage off of the cherry trees. I visited a site this week in where every cherry lining a driveway was 90 - 95% defoliated. When cherry trees defoliate this early in the season they reduce their winter hardiness. If we have a cold winter this year, expect to see dying branches on cherries in 2009. Also, weakened cherry trees are often attacked by peachtree borer. The adult peachtree borer has been flying from late June and is just finishing up flight activity in mid-September. The larvae bore into the trunk, usually at the trunk flair. Infested cherry trees will produce large amounts of sap that will gel on the trunk.

Reprinted from the September 19, 2008 edition of the TPM/IPM Weekly Report for Arborists,Landscape Managers & Nursery Managers, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension