Cherry plum pests and diseases: how to recognise them

Q: Which cherry plum problems need quick action?

Honey fungus: Peel back the bark at the base — a creamy-white, paper-thin sheet of fungus between bark and wood that smells strongly of mushrooms confirms it; the bark at the base may crack and bleed.

Prunus cerasifera

The pests, diseases and disorders recorded for cherry plum in our library, each with a photo and its first symptom. Every page has the full list of symptoms, organic and chemical treatment and prevention.

At a glance

Problems in total	4
Pests	2
Diseases	1
Growing conditions	1
Need quick action	1

How to grow cherry plum · All pests and diseases

Pests

Black-veined whiteIn winter, nests of a few dry leaves spun together with silk hang in the crown, each holding dozens of small caterpillars.Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Plum mothA pinkish caterpillar up to 12 mm long with a brown head inside ripe fruit, with brown droppings near the stone.Also called: plum fruit moth, red plum maggotPhoto: Donald Hobern, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diseases

Honey fungusPeel back the bark at the base — a creamy-white, paper-thin sheet of fungus between bark and wood that smells strongly of mushrooms confirms it; the bark at the base may crack and bleed.Photo: Stu's Images, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Growing conditions

GummosisCloudy or dark gum suggests borers or a disease such as a canker underneath.Photo: Rosser1954 Roger Griffith, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Which cherry plum problems need quick action?

These spread or do lasting harm fast; check the plants and start treatment the day you see them.

Honey fungus: Black or brown root-like cords ("bootlaces") on the roots and in the soil, mostly in the top 15 cm.

Plants with many of the same problems

Which plants each problem affects: sources

The links between these problems and the plant were checked against these pages.