The sand cherry , Prunus x cistena , is a average - sized shrub that get hold of a height and width of 8 substructure . The shrub make fragrant flowers in spring that turn into non-white - colored yield in mid - summer . Proper maintenance and shrub management through out the twelvemonth forestall the origination or natural event of diseases that damage the yield and bush body structure .

Identification

The sand cherry is susceptible to the fungal disease plum pockets , powdery mildew and trunk canker . plum tree pocket taint the shrub in springtime when the Taphrina fungus spores attach to mature branch and leave-taking of the sand cherry . Powdery mould is a disease cause by the Podosphaera oxyacanthae fungus and infects the shrub during the spring time of year . proboscis canker forms on a shrub from the presence of a fungus or a bacteria pathogen entering the shrub .

Symptoms

plum tree pocket is a fungal infection that creates wring fruit with pocket - similar growth and deformed bush shoot . Powdery mould is a fungus that present itself as a white pulverization over the shrub leafage , curled leaves and the eventual presence of black dots on the leaves . tree trunk pestilence is a fungous , sometime bacterial , infection that penetrates the bush trunk , cause a large canker sore growth that pop off off the shrub .

Cause

The plum pocket disease take place when fungous spores become active in late spring . The spores bond to the buds in spring and stay in the hibernating stage for the end of the develop time of year . Plum pocket disease systems occur the next spring time of year when the buds open . Powdery mildew and canker sore infections occur when the fungus forms and spreads in humid , wet atmospheric condition since heat and wet make an environment that is optimum for fungus growth . Powdery mildew spreads throughout the bush and to neighboring plant and trees from rain splashing the spores . canker sore infections enter the shrub through a mechanical or rude lesion made on the shrub body .

Management

There is no direction or treatment for a plum pouch infection since the infection is present in the shrub for one class prior to symptom appearing . get rid of and demolish the shrub to prevent spread out to other shrubs . Treat a powdery mildew infection with an covering of a benomyl fungicide plant at garden provision stores . Verify the software rate and frequency listed on the container . Severe proboscis canker infection where the shrub ischokin - art.html'>chokingoff and dying require removal and destruction of the shrub . Remove branch infected with cankers , making sure to disinfect the pruning equipment before , during and after the pruning session to keep circularise the pathogen .

Prevention

annual shrub maintenance to preclude a plum pocket infection include spraying the shrub with lime hydrate sulfur during the late winter dormant season and again after foliage drop . Prevent powdery mold infections by removing all offset and leaf debris underneath the bush in the fall season . Prune the bush to unfold the canopy for air circulation so the leaves and ramification dry out cursorily . Prevent a canker contagion by cut during the dormant season and disinfecting the creature before prune and after making each cut .

References

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