New cherry tree with curled up new leaves

[Mike1958]

We have a couple of new cherries planted last summer, on the end leaves of one tree all the the leaves are curling up and there is a black soot like deposit on the underside of the leaves. Has anyone experienced this before and if so what is the best treatment.

Many thanks,

Mike

[Tancrède]

[quote user="Mike1958"]

We have a couple of new cherries planted last summer, on the end leaves of one tree all the the leaves are curling up and there is a black soot like deposit on the underside of the leaves. Has anyone experienced this before and if so what is the best treatment.

[/quote]

It sounds like black cherry aphid  -  especially if yours are sweet cherries such as Napoleon.  Whilst my trees were young I used insecticide regularly to keep them at bay, otherwise it is quite difficult to form a vigorous and well-shaped tree.  Now that they are established, and I wish to eat the cherries, I spray once immediately after flowering.  This has only moderate success because during the flowering period - in which one mustn't spray - the aphids are already becoming established.  Perhaps someone will tell us the perfect solution.

[Mike1958]

Your are right on the mark, it is a Napoleon variety. I have checked my RHS book and it seems to confirm Cherry Aphid but the treatment is not that clear. I was thinking of cutting off the tips but that may be a bit drastic, though I don't want the problem to spread to the healthier more established leaves.

[Tancrède]

[quote user="Mike1958"]

You are right on the mark, it is a Napoleon variety. I have checked my RHS book and it seems to confirm Cherry Aphid but the treatment is not that clear. I was thinking of cutting off the tips but that may be a bit drastic, though I don't want the problem to spread to the healthier more established leaves.

[/quote]

I simply spray the endangered areas with a proprietory aphicide and leave them.  They will not look pretty this year, but the growing points will (in my experience) shoot next year as if nothing had happened.

Cherries are really not as forgiving as say apples and quinces in the matter of being hacked about.  If you cut off the tips of a young tree it will try to recover itself by shooting in various ungainly directions, wrecking the prospect of a pleasing and conveniently-shaped mature tree. 

PS:   Having just had a look at my Napoléon I notice that the damaged tips (sprayed a couple of weeks ago) are already growing again very nicely.

And, I do not think that you need to concern yourself too much with the established leaves  -  these pests show an unsurprising tendency to favour the fresh young leaves at the tips.

[Mike1958]

Many thanks, I have sprayed in what was one of the few dry days of the last few weeks and will keep an eye open for new growth. The next sun that we get after all of this rain should see everything sprouting nicely.