Hello. I live in Bradford where the soil has lots of clay. The tree was planted 2 years ago. The first year the foliage all dropped due to a green beatle and this year I had a nice full tree with some blooms. However now I am seeing the leaves being eaten and some of the leaves are turning yellow and falling off. I sprayed it twice with safers 3 in1 garden spray but I don’t think it’s helpful. What to do?
Higan Japanese Cherry trees (prunus subhirtella) are prone to several diseases and insect pests which make them a fairly high maintenance tree in our part of the world.
Diseases include several caused by Bacterial, Fungal and/or Mycoplasma infections.
Insect pests include Aphids, Spider Mites, Leafrollers, Fruit flies, Weevils, Sawflies, various moth caterpillars and larva.
The disease and insect pests that affect sour & sweet cherry trees will also affect your Higan Japanese variety.
What I suggest you do is, make a very close inspection of your tree. Look carefully at the trunk, branch & twig bark and both the tops & undersides of the leaves. If you see insects or webs made by insects, take photos and bring these to your local nursery or send a picture to us for identification.
If this route is unsuccessful, then I suggest you contact a certified arborist in your area for advice. If you need help finding an arborist, Landscape Ontario should be able to refer you to several trusted people – see link below.
There are treatments available depending on what insect is causing the damage, so do not despair.
Below you will find a good information sheet for more information and care.
https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/higan-cherry
Hope this helps.