Sick cherry tree

Question: Not sure my original request went through.  Have only lived in this house since Dec.  Believe our tree is a flowering cherry.  Pink flowers last spring.  Rust colored spots on the leaves, dropping leaves.

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 19, 2024, 6:00 PM EDT
response: This appears to be a crabapple, rather than a cherry. Crabapples are suspectable to a number of fungal diseases. Crabapples can easily have a couple different fungal issues going on at the same time. Many drop much of their leaves in summer each year and are able to live with these diseases for many years. This has been a particularly bad year for fungal issues, given all the rain we have had. Lots of the newer varieties are selected for better resistance to these fungal issues, but in a bad year they could still be susceptible. There is nothing that can be done at this point in the season, other than being sure to clean up and remove all of the fallen leaves to help minimize the chance of infecting the trees next year. If you haven't noticed this problem in previous years, you could just clean up the leaves and hope for less favorable fungal weather next year. It looks like a disease called apple scab, but if you want to know exactly which fungal issue(s) this tree has, you should send a sample to MSU's Plant Diagnostics Lab to confirm. Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)   If you do want to treat for fungal issues, treatment would be in spring before you really see the damage and may possibly require multiple treatments. Many of the larger arboriculture companies commonly treat crabapples for various fungal diseases. Here is a link to find an arborist in your area if you would like to treat preventatively next spring. I would recommend looking for one that has is ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) certified. Find an Arborist (treesaregood.org)   Here are some links about apple scab: Why is my crabapple tree losing leaves? - MSU Extension  Is your crabapple losing leaves? Apple scab may be to blame | Good Growing | Illinois Extension | UIUC Apple Scab – Wisconsin Horticulture

responder: The Question Asker Replied August 19, 2024, 7:23 PM EDT
response: Thank you so much for all the valuable information. SusanOn Aug 19, 2024 6:00 PM, Ask Extension wrote:-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Dear Susan, here's the response to your question: This appears to be a crabapple, rather than a cherry. Crabapples are suspectable to a number of fungal diseases. Crabapples can easily have a couple different fungal issues going on at the same time. Many drop much of their leaves in summer each year and are able to live with these diseases for many years. This has been a particularly bad year for fungal issues, given all the rain we have had. Lots of the newer varieties are selected for better resistance to these fungal issues, but in a bad year they could still be susceptible. There is nothing that can be done at this point in the season, other than being sure to clean up and remove all of the fallen leaves to help minimize the chance of infecting the trees next year. If you haven't noticed this problem in previous years, you could just clean up the leaves and hope for less favorable fungal weather next year. It looks like a disease called apple scab, but if you want to know exactly which fungal issue(s) this tree has, you should send a sample to MSU's Plant Diagnostics Lab to confirm. Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)   If you do want to treat for fungal issues, treatment would be in spring before you really see the damage and may possibly require multiple treatments. Many of the larger arboriculture companies commonly treat crabapples for various fungal diseases. Here is a link to find an arborist in your area if you would like to treat preventatively next spring. I would recommend looking for one that has is ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) certified. Find an Arborist (treesaregood.org)   Here are some links about apple scab: Why is my crabapple tree losing leaves? - MSU Extension  Is your crabapple losing leaves? Apple scab may be to blame | Good Growing | Illinois Extension | UIUC Apple Scab – Wisconsin Horticulture     Need to reply to the expert? Click the link below, or simply reply to this email. Click here to view #0151713  We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.