Question
White growth on Yoshin
I saw your answer recently to a question regarding weeping and a white "scaling" on two cherry trees....
Our four year old Yoshino cherry in Northern VA does not have the weeping but we have just spotted a one-foot length of the white dusty fungus (?) or scaling on the trunk, starting about five feet from the ground, and also extending notably onto at least two branches and a couple stray spots/flecks on three or four more branches.
The tree is also very popular with black ants, but although we have had ants on the tree before we have never seen this white growth before...
Any ideas what this is and what we can do to stop it and protect our tree?
(Sorry the quality of photo is so blurry -- the ambient light is affecting our focus. We can try again if you think more pics will help with the diagnosis.)
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
- Margaret
AnswerHi Margaret, Rot, Mold and Mildew
Kwanzan cherries must have well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight or they will develop a variety of mold- and mildew-related afflictions. The most severe is root rot, caused by the fungus phytophthora, which rots the roots of the tree and prevents it from taking up water, effectively killing it. Root rot cannot be reversed and the tree should be removed as quickly as possible to prevent the spread of infection. Powdery mildew and mold, on the other hand, appear as black, gray or white fuzzy coverings on the tree. You can control these by simply pruning off the affected parts of the tree, or by applying sulfur if the harvest is already past. I would suggest you check out Atomic Grow as a healing product and to do what ever is necessary to stop excess water in that area. kathy
