cherry tree caterpillars

[water rat]

After a glorious show of blossom from our cherry trees ,within one week the leaves look like lace and the fruit is non-existant .The culprit is a small green caterpillar that seems to stick the leaves together for a day time bed and munches away during the night . This is the 2nd year this has happened, the trees are usually laden with fruit . Spraying would be difficult as not only are the trees high but they are over a watercourse. The apples are also suffering from rotting fruit buds but no leaf damage .Our harvest will be zilch this year. Any advice out there for next year?

[chris pp]

It isn't the caterpillar that's eating your cherries, it's only eating the leaves. Your lack of cherries is the result of poor fertilisation due to weather conditions.

As far as I know there is only one type of moth caterpillar that affects cherries and it is the one that you find inside the developed fruit.

Chris

 

[tracteurtom]

Have you pruned the trees?  Opening them up and cutting back the key fruit bearing branches by half gives the tree a new lease of life.  Its obviously too late to do this for this seasons fruit but if you hack away after the fruit  (what ever may be left) has dropped,  the tree will respond and - fingers crossed - set itself  for next year.  I was amused to watch some locals last year gathering cherries on neglected overgrown trees, they simply lopped the branches off,  2 jobs done in one, forever practical these country folk!

However, as Chris says, if the blossum was hit with frost then thats it for this seasons fruit.