Cherry Blossom Disease

[cardiffgardens]

I need some help.. It's the beginning of July and my Cherry Blossom looks a little sick. I think is has some sort of disease. Theres little holes in the leaves and some of the leaves are turning yellow and falling off.

I'm trying to figure out what this is.. My best guess is Cherry Leaf Spot and/or Bacterial Canker.

If it is or not.. does anyone have any suggestions on how to treat this? Is this something that I will need to let ride out and do a preventative treatment in the early spring? It produced unbelievably beautiful flowers this spring.

Thanks!

[CharlieBear]

It looks like it might be more than one thing. Fruiting trees need a minimum of 5 gallons of water per week during their non dormant period and that is for dwarfs. If they get less they will be stressed and more prone to disease. First of all pick up all falling leaves and destroy them, now and in the fall. At this point direct treatment would be difficult at best for either of your guesses as it looks like you have complete involvement. Be sure you dormant spray that tree this fall after all the leaves are off. If you don't have a problem with using copper, then spray with a copper fungicide in the spring when the blossoms start to swell. Both will help next year. In the future, I would watch the tree carefully for a few years. That way you can remove the first couple of affected leaves and treat the tree as needed.

[cardiffgardens]

CharlieBear.. Thanks.. I figured it was too late to do anything... I think it will surive. Its REALLY HOT here in Atlanta, and we aren't getting very much rain. Plus its planted on a hill and practically 90% clay soil (which is all we have here).. so when we do get rain.. I don't think it gets absorbed into the soil very well. I could run a sprinkler on it a few times a week to help it with the water.

Do the fallen leaves affect the disease.. you mentioned removing and destroying the fallen leaves.. I would most likely just pick them up and throw them in a yard bag.

I do know, but not sure if it's the type of tree, that it's the first tree to turn and loose it's leaves in the fall. The tree is practically bare by late Sept, when the rest of the trees in my yard are just starting to turn.

Thanks again for your help and comments.