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Cherry Leaf Spot

Cherry Leaf Spot

Blumeriella jaapii

Fungalalso: Yellow leaf, Shothole of cherry

A common fungal disease of cherry, especially tart cherries, that spots the leaves and triggers heavy yellowing and leaf drop by midsummer. Defoliation weakens the tree and leaves fruit pale and low in sugar, and repeated bad years can sap a tree winter hardiness. It overwinters in fallen leaves, so cleanup is central to control.

🔎 How to spot it

Look for small purple spots on the upper sides of older leaves in early summer that enlarge to reddish-brown spots about an eighth to a quarter inch across. In wet weather tiny whitish felt-like spore masses form on the undersides, and the spot centers may drop out, leaving small shot-holes. Heavily spotted leaves turn yellow and fall, sometimes defoliating the tree.

🥀 Damage it causes

Severe leaf spot causes early, heavy leaf drop that weakens the tree, and when defoliation comes before harvest the fruit fails to mature, staying pale and low in sugar. Repeated yearly defoliation reduces yield, stunts growth, and can lower the tree winter hardiness, eventually contributing to decline.

🔬 What causes it

Cherry leaf spot is caused by the fungus Blumeriella jaapii, which overwinters in infected leaves on the ground. In spring its spores are released and splashed onto the new leaves, where they infect only if the leaves stay wet long enough; the best infection happens between about 58 and 73 F. New spores from the spots then spread the disease through the season.

🛡️ Prevent it

Rake up and remove or shred fallen leaves in autumn to destroy the overwintering fungus, the single most useful step. Prune for an open canopy and good air movement so leaves dry fast, and avoid overhead watering. Plant where there is full sun and airflow, and choose less susceptible varieties where they are offered.

🧯 If it is already here

Because the disease feeds on its own leaf litter, fall cleanup is the core treatment. On trees that have defoliated badly for several years, protectant fungicides applied from petal fall through the weeks after harvest can preserve the leaves; follow the label. Keep the tree vigorous and the ground beneath it cleared of old leaves.

💡 Good to know

Cherry leaf spot hits tart cherries especially hard, and the giveaway is the wave of yellowing and leaf drop in mid to late summer following the small purple-to-brown spots. Because it overwinters in fallen leaves, raking and removing them each fall breaks much of the cycle, much as it does for apple scab.

🌱 Plants it affects

47 plants in the library can be affected by this problem

Amethyst Falls WisteriaAnnabelle Smooth HydrangeaAnnual VincaArizona Sun Blanket FlowerAunt Molly's Ground CherryBecky Shasta DaisyBing CherryBlack Tartarian CherryBrunneraCarolina JessamineCascara SagradaChokecherryCleyeraClimbing HydrangeaCornelian CherryCrimson Cherry RhubarbDiabolo NinebarkEarly Amethyst BeautyberryEndless Summer HydrangeaEvergreen HuckleberryFeather Reed GrassFountain GrassGateway Joe Pye WeedGoldflame SpireaGoldsturm Black-Eyed SusanHummingbird SummersweetJapanese PierisKobold Blazing StarLily of the ValleyLimelight Panicle HydrangeaLingonberryLynwood Gold ForsythiaMajor Wheeler Trumpet HoneysuckleMedlarMoerheim Beauty SneezeweedMontmorency CherryNanking CherryNatchez Mock OrangeQuaking AspenRainier CherryRoyal Heritage Lenten RoseSalalSheffield Pink Garden MumSnow Queen Oakleaf HydrangeaSpeedwellTennessee Red Valencia PeanutTexas Scarlet Flowering Quince

For educational and informational purposes only. Disease management advice is general guidance drawn from university cooperative extension sources; always identify a problem positively and read and follow the label on any product before use, especially around food crops, children, and pets.