You would be so surprised to know that the small dwarf cherry tree can give you lots of sweet cherries to enjoy. However, you may also need to be prepared with the worst to come as these small trees are exposed to the same types of diseases as the one of the standard size. After all, the dwarf cherry trees are usually created by grafting the standard size cherry varieties to the dwarf rootstock so that when it matures, the size will not be as big as the standard ones.
Some common diseases on the cherry trees are:
Brown Rot
The brown rot problem is caused by the monilinia species fungi. This issue is among the most common problem among the cherry trees, both the dwarf tree and also the normal size cherry tree. The brown rot will infect on the cherry tree flowers and cause the flowers to turn brown and before they wither and eventually die. The disease also causes the sunken areas which are brown around the twigs as well as the flower bases. They will cause the twig tips and leaves to shrivel. Moreover, you will also find the brown sticky gum run down from the base of the dead flowers as well as the twig bark. To avoid the problems, you need to avoid getting the foliage wet and to control the rot, you need to prune the parts with the diseases as soon as possible.
Cherry Leaf Spot
The cherry leaf spots can be seen by the light gray or brownish color to dark purple spots on the upper surfaces of the leaves. This is cause by the foliar fungal. The leaves will then turn yellow and then the spots will dry before the leaves are falling out. The cherry leaf spots can also influence the cherry fruits and damage them. To treat the cherry tree, you need to spot the areas with the diseases and then prune it as soon as possible.
Powdery Mildew
The powdery mildew is another disease caused by fungi. This disease usually infects the dwarf cherry tree over winter as the fungi release their dangerous spores on the wet time. The specific fungus that caused the powdery mildew infection is called Podosphaera clandetine. The white powder can sometimes grow to cover the flowers, fruits as well as the shoots. The cherry tree varieties with the most possibility of getting the powdery mildew infections are Bing, Rainier and Black Tartarian.
