Cherry leaves turn yellow in July: what to do and why it happens

The gardening season is already open, and soon summer residents will harvest large and juicy cherries. Berries are used to bake pies and jams, prepare desserts, or simply freeze the fruits in the freezer. In order for the cherry tree to be productive, gardeners pay attention to caring for it. Cherry is hygrophilous and needs constant fertilization. A healthy tree should have dark green leaves. If their color changes, this signals a problem. Why cherry leaves turn yellow in July and what to do with it, we will consider further.

Causes of yellowing cherry leaves in June

There are many reasons for the yellowing of cherry leaves in June: a deficiency of trace elements in the soil, errors in planting and leaving, diseases and insect pests. Sometimes yellowing occurs for one reason, sometimes it affects several at once. For example, cherries do not have enough light and nutrition, and because of this, she fell ill with coccomycosis.

Lack of nutrients

Cherry receives its nutrition from fertilizers, which are applied throughout the growing season. If you do not follow the dosage or forget about feeding, there will be a deficiency of trace elements. This entails weak immunity, developmental delays, yellowing of leaves and drying of shoots.

Signs of a lack of certain substances:

• lack of nitrogen is manifested in the fact that the leaves grow small, have a faint green or yellowish color;
• phosphorus starvation is easy to recognize by short and dry shoots, narrow leaves, and a change in their color;
• with a deficiency of potassium, the leaves acquire a gray tint, some are covered with yellow-brown dots;
• lack of calcium is accompanied by the death of young leaves;
• lack of boron manifests itself in the form of chlorosis of young leaves - the veins turn yellow, the leaves curl and become smaller;
• with a lack of zinc, the shoots become brittle and brittle, the color of the leaf plates changes.

Diseases

The first signs of disease are difficult to identify, usually gardeners notice problems when the leaves have already turned yellow or changed shape. There is no cultivar that is completely immune to disease, so it is recommended to regularly inspect cherries for changes.

Coccomycosis

The fungal disease is widespread in central Russia, affecting young and adult trees. It spreads quickly, infects cherries in gardens and plantations. The first sign of coccomycosis is reddish or brownish-brown small spots on the leaves. Over time, they merge and turn into one big spot.

The chlorophyll content in trees is halved, so cherries lose their ability to retain moisture. Because of this, the leaves turn yellow and fall off in July or August. In a bare tree, immunity weakens, biological processes are disrupted, it will not be prepared for winter.

Moniliosis

Moniliosis (fruit rot) is common in regions with damp and cool springs. The causative agent of the disease - a fungus - infects plants during the flowering period. It gets inside through the bark, spreads throughout the tree.

Reference. Pathogenic fungi are frost-resistant, therefore they winter in the ground and infect healthy plants with the arrival of spring.

Gardeners notice wilting flowers, yellowing and drying of foliage. The fruits are deformed, become soft, covered with small creamy pads.Carriers of moniliosis are diseased neighboring plants, wind, rains, insects. The disease is actively developing at temperatures up to + 20 ° C and air humidity 95-100%.

Scab

The scab does not harm the tree, but the crop. The fungus hibernates in foliage, appears on the plant in April - May. The leaves are covered with bright yellow spots that darken and crack over time. The spread of scab is facilitated by high humidity, lack of sunlight, thickening of plantings. The disease is difficult to control, as it occurs during the flowering period, when the cherry cannot be sprayed with chemicals.

Pests

Cherries crumble and shed their leaves due to damage by insect pests. They hibernate in plant debris; most insects live in colonies. Some are capable of destroying the entire crop.

Cherry aphid

A small insect sucks sap from the plant. The length of the black aphid is 2 mm, so it is difficult to notice it in the area. Only a dark color helps to distinguish an insect. They are looking for a pest at the tips of branches, he loves young shoots. Aphids lay eggs for the winter; larvae appear on cherries in spring. The shoots of the tree twist, the leaves dry out and deform.

Aphids are especially active in June - July when the weather is hot. Adults live in grass and fallen leaves. Pests multiply very quickly, therefore, if they are detected, it is recommended to immediately take remedial measures.

Slimy sawfly

The cherry slimy sawfly lives off the sap of the plant. The length of the insect is 4–6 mm, the color is black or brown. The sawfly appears in the garden in late May - early June. Damages leaves, causing the plant to weaken and wither. Weeds, acidic and poor soil, improper care, and sudden changes in weather contribute to the development of pests.

Cherry moth

Caterpillars and adults are dangerous for cherries. The larvae hibernate in cracks in the bark, and with the arrival of spring they appear outside. Caterpillars penetrate fruit buds, eat young leaves and flowers. Leaves that have remained intact turn yellow and dry out over time.

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Agrotechnical errors

Growing errors are made by both experienced gardeners and beginners. Cherry care consists of watering, fertilizing, loosening, mulching, and pruning.

What mistakes summer residents make most often:

• do not remove leaves, weeds and other plant debris near plantings;
• planting cherries in sour soil;
• watering plants irregularly;
• use cold tap or spring water for irrigation;
• do not respect the distance between plants less than 2 m;
• allow a lack or excess of trace elements;
• use only organic or only mineral supplements;
• prune old shoots with dirty garden tools;
• carry out sanitary pruning less than once a year;
• do not mulch cherries with sawdust, straw, hay;
• do not loosen the soil 2 times a month.

A common mistake many gardeners make is failure to meet the timing of watering and fertilizing. Moisturize the plant every 15 days, feed it 3-4 times per season. The abundance of watering depends on the growing region.

How to save a tree

If the cause of the yellowness of the leaves lies in diseases or pests, cherries are treated with chemicals. Use drugs "Gamair", "Captan", "Horus", "Strobi". They are effective against most fungi and other pathogens, and are used for both medicinal and prophylactic purposes.

If pests and diseases have destroyed whole shoots and leaves, the affected areas are removed and burned. The rest are sprayed with a mustard solution: 100 g of powder is dissolved in 10 liters of cool water. The procedure is carried out in the morning. The solution strengthens the cherry's immune system and helps it recover from diseases or insect damage.

If the main problem is insects, they are removed by hand if possible, and then they begin to process. This method is effective if the pest is found during the flowering period: at this time, you cannot resort to chemicals. If there is no time for manual cleaning, special trap belts are used. Insects are washed off with water from a hose, and then water the soil with boiling water.

What to do if leaves fall

In this case, pruning will help save the tree. To do this, remove dry and bare branches, collect fallen leaves and weeds. All are piled up and burned away from the garden area. Experienced summer residents urge not to be afraid of such drastic measures: it is better to remove a few sick and weak branches than to lose a whole cherry tree in a year.

Attention! To protect the cherry from falling leaves the next year, ammophoska is introduced before winter: a groove is made, it is filled at the rate of 30 g per 1 m². Sprinkle the base with dry ash. Such activities will strengthen the plant's immunity.

After pruning, the plant is weakened, so it is fed with complex fertilizers. They contain nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, copper, iron, boron. They use the preparations "Magic Leica", "Kemira", "Gumi-Omi" for fruit and berry trees. Before the procedure, the soil is loosened and watered abundantly with warm water.

Preventive measures

It is impossible to grow a rich cherry harvest without preventive measures. They protect the plant from diseases and insects, make the plant resistant to external influences.

Gardeners recommend:

• pruning in dry weather, watering - in calm and cloudy weather;
• inspect regularly landing;
• buy varietiessuitable for a specific growing region;
• plant cherries away from apple and pear trees;
• after trimming, treat the wounds with garden pitch;
• add water to the root, bypassing leaves, fruits and shoots;
• dig up the soil in the fall and remove all debris;
• use disinfected garden tools for work.

Experienced gardening tips

For the summer to be productive and fruitful, experienced gardeners recommend sprinkling cherries with folk remedies. They do not require financial investments, are easy to prepare and are beneficial for plants.

Attention! Before proceeding with the treatment with chemicals, it is recommended to spray only one branch and see the reaction of the plant. If there are no side effects, the whole tree is treated.

To prepare the infusion, you need dandelion tops, stems and leaves, nettle, chamomile. Raw materials are poured with boiling water at a rate of 1: 1. Insist for 2 days and use for processing.

Conclusion

Gardeners recommend combating yellowing of leaves with folk, chemical and agrotechnical means. When diseases are detected, the plants are cut off and treated with a solution of ferrous sulfate or Strobi.

If insects are visible, they are removed by hand, the tree is sprayed with a mustard solution. Yellowness also appears due to a lack of trace elements, errors in agricultural technology, for example, due to irrigation with cold water, irregular dressings.