Cherry ovaries fall off: why does this happen and what can be done to treat it

Bad weather during flowering

It is no coincidence that gardeners are afraid of the return of frost or, conversely, extreme heat during the flowering period.
Both the plant and the bees that pollinate cherries are affected by sudden changes in weather conditions:

• rains, downpours;
• drought;
• strong wind;
• cold.

It is not always possible to correct the consequences of bad weather. In case of drought, the soil around the tree is watered additionally and mulched with sawdust.

Heavy rain and wind discourage pollinating insects. To return them to the garden, the branches are sprayed with a sweet solution (100 g of granulated sugar per 1 liter of water) or the flowers are pollinated artificially (pollen is transferred from flower to flower).

Covering the roots (and branches, if possible) with spunbond or other non-woven material helps protect against frost. Lighting fires from wet wood at a distance of 1-2 meters from the tree will help - the smoke can protect the ovaries from the cold.

Causes of ovary fall

• Reason No. 1. Adverse weather conditions
  prolonged heat and low humidity;
• cloudy weather and insufficient lighting;

Fall of ovaries in fruit and berry crops

Nutrient deficiencies

A sign of nutrient imbalance is weak and short-lived flowering. A lack of nitrogen is indicated by small pale berries with an abundance of foliage. Potassium and phosphorus deficiency - slow bud formation, dark leaf color.

The soil requires mandatory complex feeding of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

The following tools are suitable:

• azofoska – 20 g per 1 square meter;
• Diammofoska – 30 g per 1 square meter;
• nitrophoska – 500 g per 1 square meter.

For preventive purposes, these drugs are used:

• the first time - in the spring before the formation of buds;
• the second time - in the fall after harvest.

High soil acidity

Signs of soil acidity:

• weak flowering;
• small formation of the ovary;
• small sour fruits of pink and deep red color that fall off;
• dense cherry crown.

Regular fertilizing of the soil with mineral fertilizers will help avoid an increase in acidity.

If a problem occurs, one of the following fertilizers should be introduced into the soil around the roots:

• ash (500 g per 1 square meter);
• grated chalk (300 g per 1 square meter);
• dolomite flour (500 g per 1 square meter).

The ash is suitable for regular use (in spring before flowering and in autumn after harvest). The soil is dug up with chalk and dolomite flour once every 3-5 years; more frequent use of these fertilizers can harm the mineral composition of the soil.

How to make cherries bear fruit

If barren flowers appear on the plant, this means that during the harvest there will be no berries on the branches, even if the tree blooms in the spring. What to do in this case?

You can help the cherries set a lot of berries. First, prepare the ground. Alkaline components must be periodically added to the soil. It is preferable to add dolomite or limestone flour. Dolomite flour will be a good fertilizer for preventing pests.

Flour also promotes plant growth. Inexperienced gardeners give preference only to natural fertilizing: ash, manure, compost. These are good fertilizers, but the berries, in addition to everything else, require microelements (potassium, phosphorus). These microelements contribute to the ripening of flower buds on the branches. For feeding, mineral fertilizers with excess phosphorus and potassium are used. How well the berry grows and develops depends on the soil.

Crown density

Gardeners rule: the more young shoots and foliage, the less fruit ripens. Nutrients first go to the branches, then to the ovaries. This is observed in trees with an unformed crown.

From the thickening of the cherry crown:

1. A year after planting, begin to shape the cherry.
2. Trim excess shoots, cut off weak and broken branches - in the first 4 years after planting.
3. Every year in spring or autumn, carry out sanitary pruning: remove dry branches, leaves affected by fungus, with traces of pest activity.

Why are pears small?

Lack of iron leads to chlorosis. As a result, growth slows down, leaves and tree tops dry out. If you observe whitening of young leaves before fruiting begins, it means the pear does not have enough iron and its fruits will be small.

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Lack of pollinators

Pollinators for cherries are:

• bees;
• bumblebees;
• beetles;
• butterflies.

After the buds bloom, insects must pollinate them within 3-4 days, otherwise the pollen will begin to fall off and lose the properties necessary for the formation of fruits. Bad weather, frosts, and strong odors in the garden repel pollinators.

You can attract insects in the following ways:

• spray the branches with a sweet solution (100 g of sugar or honey per 1 liter of water);
• for watering use the same sweet solution.

Incorrect use of fertilizers

For the normal development of a cherry tree, the soil must contain:

• nitrogen;
• phosphorus;
• magnesium;
• potassium.

If there are not enough of them or one of the elements predominates over others, the berries grow slowly, turn out small, sour, and fall off.

For preventive fertilizing, soils are used in the spring after flowering and in the fall after harvesting:

• double superphosphate – 30 g per 10 liters of water;
• potassium sulfate – 30 g per 10 liters of water.

In the fall, complex feeding is done: a mixture of superphosphate (60 g), potassium salt (40 g), humus (10 kg) per tree is dug into the soil.

Self-sterility of the variety

Some cherry varieties are self-sterile. The berries on them will not ripen if pollen from another plant does not fall on the flowers. There are varieties that are partially self-fertile - a small amount of fruit ripens on them without pollination (up to 10% of the possible volume).

Bees are usually carriers of pollen; gardeners attract them to flowering trees with a solution of water and sugar. An easier way is to plant another variety of cherry nearby (at a distance of no more than 35-40 meters). It is convenient to place from 2 to 15 trees of different varieties close to each other - then constant pollination will be ensured.

At plum and cherry plum

Premature falling of unripe plum and cherry plum fruits in early June is observed for the following reasons:

1. Freezing. A tree that has suffered a too frosty winter tries to bloom in early spring, as a result of which it loses strength and gets rid of the ovaries.
2. Lack of nutrients such as zinc, lime, phosphorus. The shortage is especially noticeable during the formation of ovaries.
3. Pests. This is the most common cause of crop loss.
4. Lack of moisture.
5. Self-sterility. Some varieties cannot self-pollinate.

It is not always possible to restore a tree whose shoots have already begun to die, so special attention must be paid to preventive measures:

• clarify the presence/absence of self-sterility - self-sterile specimens must be crossed with specimens of another variety (they should be planted no further than 10 meters from each other;
• feed with eggshells, ash, bird droppings, mullein;
• treat plants with insecticidal agents;
• It is good to water trees in hot weather - at least 5-6 buckets.

Abundant fruiting in the previous season

If the tree produces a lot of fruit, it will probably “rest” next season. Fewer ovaries will form than usual. The fruits will be small and sour.

To prevent this from happening, you need to help the tree during the season of abundant fruiting:

1. Increase the number of waterings.
2. After harvesting, apply complex fertilizing: a mixture of superphosphate (60 g), potassium salt (40 g), humus (10 kg) per tree.
3. In the spring, after the snow melts, before buds form, water each tree with a solution of double superphosphate (30 g) or potassium sulfate (30 g) per 10 liters of water.

Lack of moisture

The most common reason for fruit shedding is lack of proper moisture. There is no need to water the cherries abundantly - 2-4 times per season during the period of normal fruiting and 6-8 times during the period of strong fruiting are enough.

If the soil under the cherry tree is dry, the intensity of watering should be increased. You can make circles at an equal distance from the trunk with a depth of up to 10 cm, pour water into them - this way the soil will be moistened regularly.

Chapter 2. Prevention

To prepare a solution for processing cherries, dissolve seven hundred grams of urea in a ten-liter bucket of water. Spray the plant itself and its tree trunk with this composition. Urea will help protect the tree from harmful insects and dangerous fungal diseases. In addition, the plant will receive the necessary nutrients. However, treatment is carried out before flowering. After all, urea will cause a kidney burn.

Every season, it is advisable to treat trees with special solutions against insects and diseases (urea solution). If the habitats of living creatures are not destroyed in time, there will simply be nothing to collect in the summer.

It is important to fertilize the soil several times a year with droppings and minerals. Such products are sold at any gardening store.

Diseases

Common cherry diseases that affect fruit dropping:

1. Hole spot (klyasterosporiosis) is a fungus that settles on branches and berries. Its spores destroy the pulp, causing juice to flow out, the berry dries and falls off.
2. Coccomycosis is also a fungal disease that affects the leaves of the plant. They curl, become dry and fall off. The tree then drops unripe berries.
3. Moniliosis is a fungus that causes gray growths to appear on the bark and branches. It is provoked by high humidity.

Having noticed the first signs of all of the listed types of fungus, you should:

• remove affected leaves, fruits, trim bark and branches;
• burn all cut parts so that the disease does not return;
• spray branches, foliage, and soil in the root area with a spray bottle with a solution of copper sulfate (300 g of the drug per 10 liters of water);
• water the tree with a solution of double superphosphate (30 g per 10 liters of water).

For the purpose of prevention, the plant is sprayed with copper sulfate in spring, autumn and before bud formation.

Reason #1. Adverse weather conditions affecting the fall of ovaries and buds

Adverse weather conditions include prolonged heat, insufficient lighting, low humidity and sudden temperature changes.

Fall of ovaries in vegetable crops

Pests

Pests that lay their larvae on cherries, in the soil nearby, or in ripening fruits contribute to the death and fall of still green berries.

Aphids live mainly on young shoots. The first sign is curling of the leaves. Because of this, tree growth and fruit development slow down. You can prevent the appearance of aphids by treating the tree with Bordeaux mixture (300 g of copper sulfate and 400 g of quicklime dissolved in 10 liters of water) before the formation of buds. The folk method will also help - placing sticky tapes on the trunk and branches of the cherry tree.

Slimy sawfly larvae overwinter in the soil and then pupate. In summer they appear on the tree, feeding on young leaves and berry juice. For the purpose of prevention, the soil is deeply loosened in autumn and spring, and watered with wormwood infusion (infuse 100 g of dry wormwood in 10 liters of water for a week).

The most dangerous pest is the cherry fly. She lays larvae in green berries. The fruits do not ripen - they are eaten away from the inside.

Preventive measures will help in the fight against the pest - treating the trunk and branches with drugs:

• Actellik emulsion (for spraying 1 tree, dissolve 2 ml in 2 liters of water) – 1 month before harvest;
• “Spark Double Effect” tablets (1 tablet per 10 liters of water) – spray once during the flowering period.

In autumn, be sure to loosen the soil well at the roots.