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Holes in leaves is it vine wevil?

Bagpuss57Bagpuss57 Posts: 256
in Problem solving
I've just been out checking my plants this morning and noticed lots of holes in my flowering  cherry tree leaves. Some look like lace others have distinct holes. Do you think it's vine wevil or something else and what can I do to help my tree if it's a nasty bug causing the problems? 

Posts

  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    Not Vine weevil damage. They take notches from the edge of the leaves. Looks more like a thing called Shot hole disease.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384
    Either caterpillars or leaf miners by the look of it.  No treatment is available or necessary as they don't cause significant issues for the tree so it is only a cosmetic thing, really.  You might reduce the chances of it happening again next year by removing all dead leaves from beneath the tree when they have fallen and disposing or burning them.  This is because the pupae of the culprits probably overwinter in the leaf litter beneath the tree.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    They tend to nibble round th edges.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Bagpuss57Bagpuss57 Posts: 256
    Ok, thanks for the advice. I've seen caterpillars occasionally but can't see any on the tree itself today. I thought maybe it could be caterpillars as they do tend to leave the leaf looking more like a skeleton and there are leaves that look like that too. I will clear up any leaves as they drop and hope the tree is ok by the spring with some tender loving care.
  • Bagpuss57Bagpuss57 Posts: 256
    Berghill said:
    Not Vine weevil damage. They take notches from the edge of the leaves. Looks more like a thing called Shot hole disease.
    I have just looked this up Berghill and I think you might be right! It definitely looks the same and correlates with the weather issues we've had too, wet in spring and hot and dry summer. I will just have to hope it recovers ok. 
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    We have a hard to spell Japanese named dwarf cherry which has had this problem for the last 20 years. Still grows and flowers and has to be trimmed back every year.
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