I'm starting to see holes and some black spots on some leaves. Anyone know what this is and how I can treat this?
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Yikes, you have it too. Get rid of the plant asap, it will never be the same. I usually see it later in the year, when appearing for the first time, but - it can happen anytime during the growing season. – J. Musser Aug 21 '14 at 22:09
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Have you noticed any problem with the fruits of the tree? – Bamboo Aug 22 '14 at 17:04
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@Bamboo Haven't had any fruit yet. Planted it 2 years ago. – KingKongFrog Aug 22 '14 at 17:54
1 Answers
That is Little cherry disease, or LChD. The holes are unrelated, and look like insect damage.
From Wikipedia:
A viral infectious disease that affects cherry trees, most notably sweet cherries (Prunus avium) and sour cherries (Prunus cerasus).
The sugar and acid levels of the cherries are severely impacted, resulting in tasteless fruits, lacking both sweetness and flavor.
Typically, dark-fruited cultivars show more severe fruit symptoms than cultivars with red or yellow fruit.The ability to recover is also dependent on cultivar, with some able to return to fruit sizes and coloring comparable to uninfected trees. The taste, however, never recovers.
There is no known cure for little cherry disease and tolerance breeding programs have not yielded any cultivars able to withstand the effects of the disease for more than a few seasons.
You really can't do anything about it. I'd cut it down and destroy it, to help prevent the virus spreading. Don't plant another cherry tree in the area.
Here are some comparison pictures: