Canker Disease in a Weeping Snow Fountain Cherry Tree
- Canker initially appears on the Weeping Fountains cherry tree as a long, dark and depressed spot on the tree's limbs or trunk. These dark and soft areas break open and ooze. They begin to erupt from the open lesion. The same disease also causes large yellow leaf spots. Infected leaves may become black and begin falling off. The damage to the tree's bark causes serious girdling of the tree limbs and bark, potentially killing the tree.
- The Pseudomonas syringae bacteria colonizes cherry trees through their buds or occasionally through the parts of the tree temporarily unprotected after leaves drop in the fall. The disease generally does not enter a healthy tree, only trees that suffered from frost, improper pruning or other physical damage. P. syringae colonizes in the fall and winter, but usually is not apparent until mid-April or May as the bacteria grow and visible damage appears.
- Pruning is the most effective way of stopping infection of your Weeping Snow Fountains cherry tree. Remove and burn all infected branches. Pruning in the summer when P. syringae populations are low. Dry weather is also preferable. While pruning is the best way of managing bacterial canker, it's also one of the easiest ways to introduce canker to your cherry tree. If the tree’s main trunk is infected, the tree may die of girdling and nothing can be done to remove the bacteria.
- Most fatal canker infection occurs in the first 2 years of Weeping Snow Fountains cherry tree’s life. If preventative measures are taken, most trees can fend for themselves after a few years. Do not wet tree foliage and do not physically damage the tree's trunk. If possible, plant the cherry in a relatively frost-free zone or protect the tree during frost. A well-draining, well-fertilized soil helps your cherry tree combat bacterial canker as well as other diseases.
