Hi Tui, my 2 year old cherry tree is full of cherries this year. They are fully formed but as soon as they start to change color they rot and fall off the tree. What can this be?

Hi Alta, a two year old cherry tree is still quite young to be carrying a large crop of fruit, the fruit dropping may be natural thinning, the tree will keep what it can sustain, but best practice would be to remove most of the fruit and let the tree establish itself. While it is fruiting, all of the plants energies are going into producing fruit, where you want the plants energies to go into establishing a good root system to sustain fruiting in years to come.

The other possibility is brown rot which is a common fungal disease of fruit trees, talk to your local garden centre or DIY store for a suitable fungicide control. Any spray programme should be commenced before flowering to get the best control as prevention is the best cure. Remove infected fruit from the tree and dispose of in the rubbish or burn, remove any branches or twigs that show signs of die-back, use clean sharp tools, make sure they are disinfected with methylated spirits before and after pruning. Make sure your tree is pruned correctly to open up the canopy to allow maximum light and air circulation around the tree. Collect up any fallen fruit and dispose of, do not leave to rot in the soil below the tree. The Tui Team.