Things to Know About Growing Cherries Important information for the backyard gardener growing cherry trees in the Okanagan, Creston or Similkameen areas.

Did you Know. . . .

• Okanagan, Similkameen and Creston areas sell over $20 million of cherries annually in Canada and export markets around the world?
• The cherry industry provides thousands of summer jobs and much year-round employment?
• One little cherry fruit fly maggot can ban a grower from marketing his fruit for the rest of the season?
• All owners of cherry trees are required by law to prevent and control infestations of cherry fruit flies?
• Options for effective spray control are becoming more limited and expensive?

Please do your part to understand the problems and requirements of caring for a cherry tree - and consider the options and alternatives.

Complete control of cherry fruit fly using sprays can be difficult and ineffective for non-commercial growers, even if a commercial tree-spraying service is used.

Owners should carefully consider the costs and benefits of growing backyard trees before planting, and remove trees that will not get adequate care. Nurseries and garden centers are pleased to provide advice on suitable alternatives.

Your local Regional District By-Law enforcement officer can provide further information on the requirements and penalties of not controlling noxious pests in fruit trees in your area.

If you know of trees that are not being properly cared for, please contact your Regional District. Reducing host populations of bad bugs will help reduce the amount of agricultural chemicals required to control them in the future.

Western Cherry Fruit Fly

Damage

Larvae (maggots) feed in the flesh near the pit of cherries rendering them unmarketable. An infested cherry tree is a source of larva and flies that spread to other trees.

Life History

The adult flies emerge from the soil from June through August, generally peaking close to harvest. The female flies lay eggs in cherries and the larvae feed for 1-2 weeks before emerging and dropping to the ground to overwinter in soil under trees.

Control

Cultural - Prior to harvest (and eating), it is not possible to determine which fruit is infested and which fruit is not, therefore non-chemical control requires removal and destruction of all fruit before the larvae emerge. This reduces breeding sources and fruit fly populations for next season. It is important that all fruit be removed to prevent fruit fly production.

Chemical - The first protectant spray should be applied within 6 days of first flies emerging (about when the fruit begins to colour) and further applications applied as necessary to ensure the fruit remains protected until harvest.

Recommended Control Products are:

• dimethoate (Cygon or Lagon) - note, dimethoate can only be applied to backyard fruit trees by licensed pesticide applicators.  It is no longer sold for home garden use.
• carbaryl (Sevin)
• carbaryl + captan (Later's Fruit Guard)
• carbaryl + malathion + captan (King Fruit Tree and Garden Spray)
• phosalone + ferbam (C-I-L Fruit Plus)

Dimethoate provides about three weeks of protection but can burn some varieties of cherry and should be applied only once before harvest. Vary or reapply other sprays:  carbaryl every 5 days, or phosalone every 10-12 days. Observe pre-harvest intervals and remove all fruit at harvest. Postharvest sprays of dimethoate should be applied to prevent late-emerging fruit flies breeding in unharvested whole or split cherries. Commercial spray services have other products available for use.

• More Information on Cherry Fruit Fly
• Guide to Fruit Tree Sprays for the Home Garden

Little Cherry Virus

Little cherry disease is a serious virus disease of sweet and sour cherry in British Columbia that once wiped out the entire cherry industry in the Kootenays.  Little Cherry Virus is spread from tree to tree by the apple mealybug. It can also be spread by budding or grafting infected plant material.

Damage

Crops on affected trees are not fit for the fresh fruit market because they are lacking in flavour, sweetness, size and colour. Cherry trees infected with the little cherry virus produce fruit that is smaller than normal, with poor colour and poor flavour. Fruit symptoms are most pronounced in the Lambert variety; fruit is half to two-thirds normal size, dull red, and pointed, usually with three flat sides tapering toward the blossom end. Fruit fails to develop normal sugar and acid levels, resulting in poor flavour. It is common for some fruits on a branch to be more severely affected than others.

Little Cherry Virus symptoms on 'Celeste' variety

Control

Infected trees cannot be cured and must be promptly removed to stop the spread of the disease.

A regulation under the B.C. Plant Protection Act now makes removal of infected trees mandatory in the Okanagan, Similkameen and Kootenay regions of BC. It is also illegal to import or plant ornamental flowering cherries in the region as they are symptomless carriers of the virus. These include Prunus serrulata, Prunus subhirtella, Prunus sieboldii, Prunus yedoensis, and Prunus incisa.

If you see possible indications of Little Cherry Virus, please contact the B C Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 1 888 332-3352.

• More information on Little Cherry Virus

Your co-operation in helping control pests and diseases that threaten fruit production is greatly appreciated by the orchardists in your neighborhood. Our livelihood depends on the fruit we can grow. Thank You!

Prepared by the Okanagan Kootenay Cherry Growers Association in conjunction with the British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and the Regional Districts of the North Okanagan, Central Okanagan, Okanagan-Similkameen, and Kootenay Boundary, with the assistance of the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
 

Revised June 2006

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